Artemis Fowl: A Fairy's Fairytale
by RavenFollower13
Summary: Artemis's parents insist on a vacation. Holly tags along to see the Northern Lights, a part of a mysterious fairytale in the Book. A creature is being hunted, and she won't go underground, leaving her in Artemis's care. Kill or be killed. What will he do?
1. Beautiful Lights and Vicious Fights

I just read the 1st six Artemis Fowl books and this idea would not leave. Grr. I think the Northern Lights are in Norway, right? No? Too bad.

Anyways, this is probably one of my most favored ideas yet. Hope you enjoy it.

Also, the 7th Artemis Fowl book is coming out August 3, correct? If not, please tell me, because then Wikipedia has lied to me!

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**Artemis Fowl: A Fairy's Fairytale**

**Chapter 1**

**"Beautiful Lights and Vicious Fights"  
**

Artemis was irritated, to put it simply, at the moment. Although you would be too if you'd just been told to, "Pack something warm, and for two weeks, because your mother and I are taking you to the Arctic!", and were currently leaning on the edge of a ship. Of course, he had protested to this, but in the end been overruled by his parents.

"You're going," Mother had said sternly. "Go pack. I'll send Butler after you to help you get your things together but hurry. We're to be leaving in a few days."

Artemis sighed. "Very well, Mom." He very nearly said 'mother', but he was growing used to calling her the less formal names.

"Good," His father said, pleased as he watched Artemis trudge upstairs. "When you're done, come downstairs and we'll load the plain."

Artemis waived his hand, acknowledging this, put pouting at the same time. He heard his parent laugh before Angeline scolded him quietly, asking him not to antagonize their son before giggling herself. Since his dad had returned they'd become extremely affectionate with one another.

Artemis had barely opened his closet when Butler entered, silent as always. But Artemis had talked to him over his shoulder as he pulled out various warm articles of clothing. "It appears," he began, "That we are going on vacation."

"First time for everything," said Butler in return.

And now her our teenage genius had his arms crossed on the railing, looking up at the sky on a private boat, with his parents, twin brothers, and of course, Butler. He was a guest though, not on duty, but of course hung around Artemis like the bodyguard he was trained to be.

Of course, that was what impression his family was under. He couldn't go anywhere without surveillance from the rest of his now very close friends.

His parents had just issued to boys downstairs, asking Artemis if he wanted any hot chocolate, which he declined politely. Now it was just Butler and himself, waiting patiently for the arrival of a friend.

Soon enough, she shimmered into view next to him, but obviously more excite than Artemis himself.

"Hello, Holly," Butler said, cheerfully.

She smiled up at him, but only sparing a moment. "Hey, Butler! How are you?"

"Very well, thank you."

"I assume you got a visa?" Artemis questioned, "Oh yes, and hi."

"Yes, and hi to you too," Holly said with a smile. Recently she'd been teaching Artemis to _greet_ people before asking questions. It was polite and since he normally got a scowl from her and uncooperative silence when he didn't say hi, he'd learned very quickly. But then again, he always did.

"And of course I got a visa," she continued. "It's the Northern Lights! Almost every fairy has seen it at one time." Holly frowned.

Artemis got the hint, "But you haven't?"

"Mother was going to take me before she died," Holly explained, hiding her discomfort. "I didn't think of going until you mentioned your little 'vacation'."

"Happy to be of assistance," said Artemis, truthfully. Being honest was also something he was learning. "Why is it that fairy's like this place so much?"

"You read the Book, Fowl, you tell me." Holly shot back playfully.

The Book was also known as the fairy bible. Its word was both law and ethics to the People. And Artemis was the only human to have deciphered it, stolen a copy, and now spoke and ready Gnomish fluently. So it was true, Artemis junior had read the Book but could only question the phrase Holly was talking about.

"_Through the lights you will see  
A memory of love and glee  
Dangerous as time progresses  
Only she can fix the messes_."

Artemis recited this without a stumble, reading and re-reading the passage late into the night and trying to understand it in vain. He wasn't smiling, wearing the expression he did when deciphering something without success. "That's not much to go on, Holly."

"Take a guess, Arty." She said, sitting on the railing now.

Artemis frowned at her. "I wish you wouldn't do that. You could fall off."

Holly, not one to care about such remedial things, replied. "I'll only fall off if you push me. You, nor Butler, are going to do that, correct?"

"As of recently, no, but lets see how this night progress," Artemis said with his signature vampire-grin. He wasn't serious of course but the boy genius was starting to grow a sense of humor. Holly scowled at him.

Holly rolled her eyes, "Whatever, Mud-Boy. Anyways, go on, tell me what the Great Artemis Fowl is thinking about the fairy passages."

He sighed, "Very well." Artemis pointed to the sky, ""_Through the light you will see_', obviously meaning the Northern Lights. No other lights are important enough, as far as magic history goes, that I can think of."

"Good, Artemis, continue." Holly said mockingly.

He scowled. "'_A memory of love and glee, Dangerous as time progresses_', evolution has turned a once kind creature into something to be feared." Holly only nodded this time, still transfixed on the sky. "Lastly, '_Only she can fix the messes'_; however unsure of the meaning I am of these so-called messes, or who she is, there is only one person who can fix a certain problem of some sort."

Holly eventually turned and started clapping for him. "Very good, Artemis. I see your brain is just as sharp as ever."

Butler didn't understand though, "What creature is it? A pixie, a fairy-."

Holly smiled. "Its just a fairy tale among fairies." She interrupted. "Nothing any of us expect, just something of a day dream. We suspect Frond put it in there to entertain the younger kids. Something besides laws and strict rules."

"A fairy tale?" Artemis sounded intrigued. "How very ironic."

"Stow it, Mud Boy," she snapped, sticking her tongue out at him immaturely.

Artemis chuckled, "I'm hardly a boy anymore, Holly. I am sixteen now."

"Nineteen, according to the rest of the world," Butler reminded him.

The debate on Artemis's age, which was a common topic between all of them, because someone always brought it up, had just begun when the sky illuminated in a rainbow wave.

They all froze, looking up to the sky in awe. Holly disappeared in a shimmer, but Butler felt a small weight on his shoulder. He smirked slightly, patting the officer on the head like a pet. She flicked his ear. Soon Artemis's family was hurrying to where the eldest son and bodyguard stood.

"Mommy, lookie!" Beckett shouted, excited, "Pretty lights!"

Most times Beckett and Myles got their words correct, but Artemis did credit them on being (however advanced) still rather young.

"Yes, dear," Angeline approved, holding him. His father was doing the same with Myles because they were too short to see otherwise. "That's the Northern Lights."

**Elsewhere**

Starting at a wall was probably the least fun thing you could possible do. Hiding, when done in games, proved itself to be quite amusing to children and occasionally the elder humans. For animals, hiding (or camouflaging) could be for both fun and survival, to prevent themselves from being consumed. Currently, that's not what she felt like at all, but the sensation would soon come up, though she didn't know it at the time. All she could thing of was waiting for her friend to return.

Sitting on the edge of a roof, looking down at the city below, she was entirely at ease to her situation. It wasn't exactly illegal, but it was dangerous and highly looked down upon by others. The door behind her opened and she turned to look, just in case. He smiled at her and she smiled in turn.

"I'm glad you're here," he began. Straight to business, as always, "I wanted to ask you something."

"What?" She stood, and saw him freeze. The reason made her smile, because though he knew her better then anyone else in the world (since she had no family, and his little sister came in a very close second) he still couldn't get used to the thing that was very uncomfortable to hide and always made her back ache later.

He stepped forward. He was a lot older then her, in his thirties, and she barely sixteen. But friends came in all shapes and ages, right?

Needless to say, she was naïve. But you would be to if you never had lived in a perfect world your entire life, where nothing could hurt you, up until recently.

"I know we are not of the same species . . ."

She didn't like where this was going. "It doesn't matter. We're best friends, remember?"

Clearly, this statement was not as pleasing to him as it was to her. "Yes, we are friends, but . . . Isn't it physically possible we could be something more?"

And that was like a slap in the face to her respect. Her eyes narrowed and she stepped backwards, her reason for his freezing growing more intimidating in stance. "Physically, yes; mentally, no. Why do you ask?"

He took another step forward, which she took back. His scowl deepened and he began to advance rather quickly. This was halted quickly as he saw a spark in her eye.

Seeing this was as close as he could get, he began explaining his reasoning. "I have cared for you. I would never hurt you."

"Then take back what you said!"

Another sigh. Her kind tended to be very emotional. Women, he shook his head. "I cannot and will not." Now his voice turned forceful. "Together we would be completely unstoppable. And once we've grown comfortable with one another, our child would be the likes of something no one has ever seen before-."

"You used me," she accused, seething. "You didn't want to be my friend, you wanted to dominate my mind for your own personal gain."

He rolled his eyes, reaching behind his back. "It seems reason is deaf to your ears, however lovely they are." A feral growl erupted in her throat. "Very well," His own means of intimidation appeared and he saw her tense, hidden muscles strain under a perfect figure. "It seems this will have to become violent, won't it?"

Her hands went to her sides but it was too late. He obviously was not a fair fighter, refusing to give her the chance to grab her weapons, but there wasn't time to worry about it, because his choice of weapons was swiping viciously at her weak spots. Their kind had all kinds of weak points, but each was hard to reach. And they could only be killed by their species or another similar to it. It was very circumstantial and unimportant during this time.

Her feet kicked out, hitting him squarely in the chest. He stumbled back, surprise, and soon became enraged. This alarmed her further and he lunged, forcing her to the edge of the roof. It was disgraceful to 'run' from a fight but there wasn't much of a choice. He was as close as they got to royalty, if someone found her attacking him, she could be killed. She turned from him, ready to jump from the roof.

It was her biggest mistake.

He lashed out, refusing to let her escape without a physical injury (because the other was to her pride and sense of judgment). He succeeded.

She screamed, her intimidation in excruciating pain. Unable to muster the energy to look, all she could thing of was to get away. He wasn't going to win. She turned back, tears in her eyes, to see him hold her hand out to her. She suppressed as much of her pain to glare at him before spreading her arms and intimidation wide and free falling. This alarmed him greatly and he followed, ready to grab her.

When she saw she searched for an escape. Any escape. Death wasn't an option any longer, because he was closing in fast. A hollow thump against her chest as the wind ripped around them made her see her last extremely frightening choice.

She ripped off the necklace that tied all of their species to the island. He saw her grab for it, screaming his protest, but it was far too late.

She was gone, falling into an electric rainbow triangle from nowhere. This all happened in an instant and had he blinked, he would've missed the sight entirely. In his shock he almost turned into a splat on the floor but at last second, he managed to survive.

**Norway, The Fowl Star**

Both boys made 'ooh' sounds in unison, completely captivated, just as Butler, his parents, and his invisible fairy friend were. But Artemis's finger was currently twitching and he forced himself to hide a frown, lest his family find him ungrateful or Butler or Holly become suspicious. He could only draw one conclusion: Something was making him subconsciously and unbearably anxious and he had absolutely not idea why.

He allowed himself drop a pen in his pocket, that rolled. Butler noticed him move to fetch it and understood. It was a gift from Foaly, the centaur who Artemis rivaled in genius (though on many occasions Artemis had outwitted and outsmarted him. It was beginning to become a regular thing) and wasn't just a pen. It was important he didn't lose it, but Butler wondered why he would be so careless as to drop it all. Holly was thinking along the same lines when Artemis returned, pen in hand, and seeming very relieved.

He didn't give an explanation to his carelessness, simply fixing an examiners gaze on the sky. Holly was feeling very suspicious now, and Butler felt the small weight leave his shoulder silently.

Holly hovered next to Artemis's ear, hissing quietly. "What's wrong?"

The boy genius did not reply, simply fixated on something she couldn't see. Holly looked into his eyes, not blocking him because of the invisibility and saw a small, nearly microscopic (from this far away) white shine in the lights. She froze, staring as well. She wasn't sure what that was supposed to be. She gaped.

"Oh my," It wasn't surprising Butler had already seen what Holly had missed. He had a trained eye to see what shouldn't be there.

"It is quite a sight, isn't it Butler?" Artemis Senior agreed, oblivious, like the rest of his family, save one. "The wonders of the world sure are beautiful."

Artemis's mouth turned into a tight line, and he glanced at where he guess Holly was, since that was the only spot that was mysteriously blocked by the chill wind. He was off an inch or two but she understood the meaning of the look.

'_Someone you might know?_' Then his brow arched. '_Do you suppose you are going to meet them?_'

And just like that, Holly was gone. He didn't hear, or see anything, but Butler and he shared an expression that knew she had gone after the light.

**Norway, Ice Plateau **

Holly was now directly below the sparkle. She slapped her helmet shut, turning the microphone on to contact her favorite and most intelligent centaur.

"Foaly, you there?" She asked, her tone serious. For someone who'd taken a quick, above ground trip, it was an odd thing to contact him. But than again, this was Holly. She was always finding trouble, and it was always finding her.

"Right here, Holly. How's the view? Artemis having fun?" Foaly had been with Holly on the call to Artemis, which they gave twice a week, once on Monday and the other on Saturday. Any other calls were for emergencies, and occasionally Mulch Diggums, a dwarf that had saved their tails quite a few times (who was an important friend and also private detective) was their to speak to their favorite Mud Men.

"So, Mud Boy, how's it hanging?" Mulch had asked. He wasn't there last week, and so had made it a point to be there this time. "Any juicy stories?"

Holly noticed his sunken expression, "Hey, Artemis, are you okay? You don' look very happy."

He scoffed, clearly irritated with something or someone, taking it out in a quick, cutting sentence. "Yes, because I'm always the epitome of joy." He then froze, seeing the somewhat hurt expression on Holly's face. "My apologies, I am not in the best mood at the moment. Mother and Father are taking the twins and I to Norway to see the Northern Lights."

"Its fine," Holly said quietly before piping up again. "Why is that a bad thing? I hear the lights are beautiful."

"Yes well, cold and puffy jackets are not my idea of fun," Artemis replied, pinching the bridge on his nose.

"Better than another plot that puts the People and your world in danger," Foaly replied, teasingly. "Anyways, suck it up, Artemis."

"Thanks for the compassion, Foaly," Artemis retorted. "Nonetheless, I shall feel very bored. Family bonding is not exactly easy for me."

"Human emotion isn't easy for you, Mud Boy," Mulch said, picking at his beard for a worm. Artemis didn't object. It was true enough.

"I, for one, am jealous," Holly said, pouting, "Fairies love the Northern Lights."

"You are welcome to join me," Artemis said, in all seriousness. "You all are, just so long as you can remain unseen."

"Ice isn't my thing, Arty," Mulch said. "No solid ground. And Doodah and I have got some business to attend to over the next few days. I'll have to pass on that offer."

"Ditto on the things to do," Foaly said.

Holly was thinking, "I don't believe I have anything to do for the rest of the wink. Foaly, you think you could get me a visa?"

"If not, you could always just steal another shuttle. It's not exactly uncommon between the four of us," Artemis said sarcastically, to which the fairy folk laughed at. "I have to go, but I assume Foaly can simply track where we are in Norway. I wish the best of luck to your case, Mulch."

"Why thanks, Arty," He pretended to be bashful. "I just feel so special, now."

Artemis rolled his eyes. "And Foaly, tell your wife I said hi. I'm assuming she's a part of your 'things to do' this weekend."

Foaly winked. "Oh, you know it, Fowl. You know you really should get a gal of your own soon. What about that Minerva girl? What ever happened to her?"

"She's become like my sister," Artemis said. "We're far too much of the same gene and I am protective over her rather then possessive. It wouldn't work out very well."

"Plus, your kid would be a monster," Mulch chuckled, ignoring the glare Artemis was giving him.

In the background a female voice, his mother, called him, asking him how much more time he needed, because they were leaving in the morning and other such things. Artemis sighed, once again pinching the bridge of his nose.

"It seems I cut our conversation short." He looked up, seeming more relaxed. "Goodbye, my friends. I look forward to seeing you this weekend, Holly. Best of luck."

"Best of luck to you too, Artemis," Foaly said. Had Artemis not already started cutting the transmition he would have heard the smugness that Holly had in his voice.

When the screen was blank, Foaly immediately said, "Hmph, did you hear that Mulch? '_I look forward to seeing you this weekend, Holly_'.

"Shut up, both of you," She snapped. Recently they'd decided Artemis had a thing for her, and she him, and every harmless sentence was restructured into something they could tease her with when Artemis wasn't around. Truth be told, they were terrified of his reaction.

But as Holly's voice now was commanding, Foaly decided Artemis comments would be of no help. "Uh, never mind. Reason for you calling?"

"Something is wrong with the Northern Lights."

Foaly sighed, "Holly, I think you're just a magnet for trouble."

Holly's eyes grew wide as she noticed something. "If I wasn't here, whatever is falling from the Lights would probably die just about now."

"What!"

Holly didn't respond, her eyes riveted on the sparkle that had turned into an object, still white, but not shining. Whatever it was, it was free falling. Very gracefully, but Holly noticed something.

"Foaly, looks like we got another species to discover."

Miles below ground, Foaly groaned. "Aw man, not again."

* * *

I could make a women being sensitive joke because I'm a girl. **Warning** guys, if you say that to a girl, unless you know her pretty well, she's going to get obscenely irritated with you and then probably maim you. A shame. :0(

**If anything was wrong with this chapter, I would appreciate your input so I can fix it. Artemis Fowl has to be accurate, I know, because otherwise I'll get yelled at. Also, the T rating is just a precaution, in case someone swears.**


	2. Welcome To The Planet

Please re-read chapter! I made a name-change the Angel, deciding I liked the another name better!

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**Chapter 2**

"**Welcome to the Planet"**

Artemis saw the white light start to dim, and become much more noticeable. If he didn't distract his family, they would most likely see some mythical creature fall from the sky and be in such shock, Holly would have to us the_ mesmer_ on them.

So, wanting to avoid this, Artemis fell over in a coughing rage, alarming both Butler and his family, but it was necessary. His knees hit the hard boat and he groaned, genuinely in pain but continued to cough.

"Arty, what's wrong?" His mother demanded, frightened. "Timmy, go fetch some water for him! Quick!"

Butler knelt, checking Artemis for damage as he continued to cough. He gave a small smack to his charge on the back and Artemis coughed up a suitable amount of mucus that had not been lodged in his throat. It was a strategic hit Butler had used, knowing this boy was faking it as soon as Artemis groaned in hitting his knees. Had he really been choking he wouldn't have had time to groan. Artemis junior was hiding something.

By the time Artemis Senior was back, with water, Artemis had convinced them that it was simply a minor case of allergies amplified by the cold atmosphere and there was no need to call a doctor. Butler suggested bed rest, which Artemis had pretended to be reluctant about. But Angeline was very stern in ordering him to go to his room, and Butler offered to keep an eye on him.

At the moment the two were in his room and Artemis was calling Holly. Whatever they said would show up on the laptop, so Butler could see, but no one could overhear what Holly was saying. It would be a mainly one-sided conversation.

Finally she picked up. Of course it was a three-way call. Foaly seemed all too happy to have Artemis join whatever conversation they were having before he'd got on.

"Artemis, did anyone see her fall?" Holly asked immediately. "I need to know if I should come back around for a dose of the _mesmer_."

"That won't be necessary," he winked at Butler. "I've just caught a sudden nasty cough, a touch of the ice wind out here must have bothered my system. There's no need for you to come out."

Foaly chuckled, "Your family listening?"

"Most likely," Artemis admitted. "And please speak up, I cannot hear you."

"Translation," Foaly snickered. "What do you mean _her_?"

"Exactly," Artemis consented. "Please continue."

"Apparently," Holly said, "Frond wasn't just messing with the fairies. Angels are entirely real, and that, Artemis, is what fell from the sky."

Artemis was stunned, completely silent. Foaly took this as a moment to gloat. "Artemis finally shocked, this is something to take a picture of."

Eventually, Artemis shook off his surprise, "Be careful what you say, doctor. I might just have to call your boss."

"Translation," Holly amended, "Shut up Foaly, and does that mean there's a God they serve, or any other type of God-like thing." Holly, currently watching the female Angel attempt to recover, shook her head. "No, Angels, according to Frond, are independent creatures. They live in a different dimension, a Utopia almost, except for the sometimes bad-tainted fairies. How am I doing so far, Foaly?"

"You missed a couple things," He said, "Details."

"Please explain," Artemis pressed, feeling impatient.

Foaly smiled. "Alright, Fowl, here's the rest. Angels can only be killed by other Angels and humans. They can fly and they have wings, which can be hidden, but if hidden for more then a day, it begins to ache and put a strain on them. They aren't claustrophobic exactly, but they can't be underground. It's the equivalent of torture for them. Also, besides flight, since that is really more like walking then an actual skill to them, they can conjure up one weapon, for life, and light. Depending on a bad Angel (which, by the way, has black wings) or a good Angel, either lights or darkness is created."

"Its very much as Holly said," Artemis muttered.

Holly agreed. "It's unrealistic, even by fairy standards. The LEP are going to have a coronary when they hear about this."

If there was anything Artemis Fowl junior was good at, it was finding a flaw in the plans of others and pointing it out. He motioned for Butler to check to see if anyone was listening, and this took seconds. When the coast was clear, Artemis spoke very quickly in low tones, and without pause or hesitance.

"I believe Foaly said that this Angel refuses to go underground. So I pose the question to you both, where exactly to you plan on hiding this girl? Unless, of course, you plan on sedating her and forcing her to live in a scenery where she would most likely rather die then to continue living in Haven."

Foaly's jaw dropped. "I . . . I-."

"And furthermore," And Artemis could not help but smirk at this, "Why is it that Holly hasn't objected to what she knows I'm already suggesting?"

Both waited for Holly to respond. Finally she gave a heavy sigh, "Artemis is the only one up above we can trust with something like this. We don't have enough time to set up a place above ground. This Angel needs _immediat_e medical care, Foaly."

"Holly-."

"I'm taking her to Fowl's house," she said. The obvious reluctance to do so was in her voice. But it was also clear Holly was going to do whatever it took to save and fix this girl. "Foaly, just send a medical team to the manor immediately. Artemis, come up with an excuse to get off your trip early. We need your permission to enter."

"You have it," he said at once, for Butler had warned him his mother was coming to listen in on them. She'd probably heard the voices and was just making sure he was alright but the red-flag was up. "And so that is your recommendation?"

Holly rolled her eyes. "Get their soon Artemis. Like, within the next three hours soon. If you don't, just know that we won't wait for you, okay?"

"Understood, I shall return home immediately."

"Good. I'm taking her right now. Any objections, Foaly?" She demanded. The clicks in the background meant she was already acting, whether or not she had approval. Typical Holly move.

"Nope. I'll get the troops together and we'll meet ya there. See you two later."

"Goodbye then," Artemis said and snapped the phone shut. Butler, who was fixated on both the screen and Angeline, who could be heard breathing from the other side of the door. "Well, shall I fetch Mother to tell her the news?"

"I'll start to pack your things."

Artemis walked to the door quickly, wasting no time. His mother pretended to have been heading towards his door, about to knock, but after seeing him she said, "Artemis, I just wanted to see if you were alright. I heard voices. Were you talking to anyone?"

"Butler convinced me to call a doctor. She thought it best that I return home before my condition has any time to worsen and-."

Angeline smiled, making Artemis stop for some reason. "Artemis, you're needed at the manor for some reason, aren't you?" Her voice was quiet and her son could do nothing but nod. "Well fine. Disappointing as it may be, I'll tell your father. How much time do you need?"

Artemis blinked in surprise, "Uh, as long as you can give us."

"Oh, so your little fairy friends are involved in this too, I'm guessing?" Again, he could only manage a nod. "I can give you a month. Maybe. I'll call ahead of time and if you're done ahead of schedule, call me. Understood, sweetie?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Good," she kissed his forehead before ushering him off. "Alright now go, go save the world again, like always."

He scoffed. She made it sound so easy. But from personal experience in this kind of thing, Artemis Fowl junior knew that helping the LEP (plus Section Eight) was anything but easy.

* * *

**Ireland, Fowl Manor**

Artemis landed with Butler, who Angeline had asked to escort him. Sometimes having a mother who knew everything had its advantages.

After disarming the door, they entered. It shut behind them. Butler had the entire luggage load, except Artemis's laptop, which he held over his shoulder.

"Holly?" He called, and in the empty house, it echoed. It was almost creepy. Had this not been his home he might have been uncomfortable, but considering the circumstances, wasn't. "Holly?"

There was a fluttering upstairs and a thump. Someone swore in Gnomish and Artemis smiled before heading upstairs. Butler left the things in a downstairs closet, locking it securely before following.

"D'Arvit!" Artemis heard through the door and couldn't help but chuckle at which room it was. He opened it, not bothering it to knock.

Holly was there, weapons cast aside in a corner, looking up. They were in the old bird room. Angeline Fowl had gone through a 'bird' faze, and bought many common and exotic flying mammals. Some cages were rather large, matching to the birds needs, and some were tiny. All had been in the same room, causing a problem, and so ended this phase. There were wardrobe-sized cabinets that once contained food for the critters, and other various things, but now this was just a memory of what was.

Right now Holly was looking on top of one of those cabinets now, at a girl who was perched on one of them. She glared at Holly suspiciously, her wings wrapping around her so you could only see her eyes and up. She was crouched low, in a little ball. Artemis approached Holly from behind as she tried to coax the creature down.

"Come on, I'm not going to hurt you," she said, in Gnomish. Artemis wondered if the gift of tongues was something the Angel's had developed like the People had.

"How exactly did she get up there?" Artemis asked, amused. He spoke in English, just in case she didn't understand.

Holly sighed, doing the same. "She tried to fly away after she woke up, but her wing is damaged. If we don't get her down from there she' going to bleed to death."

Artemis studied her features, particularly her bright blue eyes and black hair. But because of her wings, he wasn't sure how long it was. She was pale. Nothing else about her was visible. "Did she tell you her name?"

"As soon as I got off the phone with you two, she fainted. I'm guessing from pain. She'll go into shock soon enough, but I'd prefer not to have that happen. So no, no name was offered." Holly was still trying to get the poor thing to come down when Artemis got an idea.

He started speaking in Gnomish, "I'm Artemis. Who are you?'

The girl only snorted, "As if I'm going to tell you. You probably followed me here and are just hiding your wings."

"Is it because I'm human? I thought Angels were supposed to be nice."

"Human?" She seemed surprised, her head peeking up to reveal that her black locks fell past her shoulders. It was quickly ducked back down, but only slightly. "If you're human, how do speak the language?"

"I'm smart, as are my friends here," he gestured to Holly and Butler, "And the ones coming to help your wing."

She protectively embraced her wing, the blood extremely visible against the white feathers. A piece of it was cut off, at the tip, raggedly. The Angel caressed it gently, wincing as she did so.

"Who would do such a horrible thing?" Holly asked, genuinely concerned .

The girl's lip quivered. She seemed just around Artemis's age. "H-He hurt me. I didn't want him, so he hurt me."

Artemis's expression darkened considerably. He'd been raised to never strike a woman or even raise your voice to one. Everything could be talked over without violence, if it was just an argument. No lady should ever be abused simply for being disobedient. Holly heard him mutter a few insults and curses about this gentleman before he continued with the plan of 'talk to her' rather then 'force her'.

"I can assure you, Holly, Butler, and I won't let anything happen to you." Artemis promised. "We'll do our best to keep you safe, which is considerably almost anything."

The girl bit her lip before continuing, "That language you spoke earlier . . . what is the name of it?"

"English," he said. "I'm fluent in most languages. Very few do I not know by heart, but that is only two." He stopped his bragging. "Why do you ask?"

The Angel did not answer but to their amazement, she fluttered to a shorter cage, balancing perfectly. She flew like a bird with an injured wing, but much more graceful then that. Angels were born to be beautiful creatures, and far surpassed that. Eventually she reached the ground, and to Butler's disliking, began to approach Artemis and Holly at a quick pace, wincing at the strain it took to get down.

"I see we've persuaded you to trust us." Artemis was also somewhat wary of this sudden approach. Why did languages matter to an Angel?

The Angel said nothing, examining Holly before watching Artemis. True she knew of Earth, but only a minimal amount of information. She decided quickly enough and Artemis's brow rose as she took a step toward him.

This girl was beautiful, at the very least. Her lips were a deep red, almost like blood but in a more friendly way. Not dangerous, just scared. She was an inch or so shorter then him and wore a white dress, thin strapped, square-necked, and hugging her form tightly but left room to move easily enough. This Angel wore no shoes.

"Is there a reason to-?" Artemis began. Butler knew what was coming and could not help but smile. At this hormonal state, the reaction would be priceless.

At that moment, on one of his many computers (most likely set up by Holly) Foaly's face appeared.

"Hey guys, we're getting ready to la-." His voice disappeared at the sight before him and everyone's besides Artemis's jaw were nearly on the floor.

The Angel had gripped Artemis from behind the neck, kissing him firmly on the lips with her eyes closed in some type of concentration. Artemis, on the other hand, could be compared to someone who'd been petrified. His eyes were huge, staring at nothing in particular. He was visibly tense and his hormonal brain nor his intellectual one had been prepared for this type of situation.

After a solid ten seconds of this, a spark of white jolted their lips. The Angel remained steady, but released her hold on Artemis. The boy genius, on the other hand, stumbled backwards into Butler's arms, who caught him after two steps. He righted the stunned teenager, failing at hiding the smirk on his face.

"Well, uh," Foaly stuttered, nervously, in English. "Hey guys. I- I, um, see that you have become . . . acquainted with the Angel."

Said female seemed pleased, speaking in perfect English. She looked at Artemis, a little nervously. "Sorry about that but it's the only way for Angel's to learn. Lip contact is quickest, because of my magic being low." This sentence ended with a hiss, and her wings tightened against her body. "Ow, speaking of which-."

Butler picked her up, careful not to harm her as they exited the room. "Don't worry, the medics will be up to fix you shortly, isn't that right, Foaly?"

The centaur nodded, an image of him appearing from Holly's helmet. "Yup, any second now. Although, I suggest you pick the room carefully. The medics want you to keep as still as possible."

"You'll all be staying above ground with her then, I assume?" Artemis asked the creatures, minus Angel. She wasn't making any decisions at the moment.

Holly nodded, "I will. They aren't taking me off this, discovery rights."

The Angel cleared her throat. "Um, I also wanted to apologize about earlier. I was only hostile because this was unfamiliar territory. I know little about Earth, and so do not know what to expect."

Holly waived a forgiving hand. "Don't worry about it. We all would've done the same thing. Do you mind if I ask your name, by the way?"

They entered one of many guest rooms Fowl Manor had, but Artemis had a reason for picking this one. It had a balcony, and a lovely view of the sky. Not as good as some of the occupied rooms, but he imagined the Angel would very much appreciate this.

"Ethryn." She said, pushing some of her hair out of her face. "My name is Ethryn."

"Artemis, Artemis Fowl the Second," he held his hand out, which she shook.

"Holly Short," Holly said, examining the wing damage. She frowned. "I'll be right back to lead the Medical Examiners inside."

She nimbly darted out of the room with nearly as much grace as Ethryn. This was admittedly impressive, since Ethryn put shame to gazelles.

"Just call me Foaly," the centaur said cheerfully, now on Artemis's laptop that he'd set up in the corner.

"Butler, it's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Miss Ethryn." Butler knelt, taking her hand and shaking it carefully. No need to injure her further.

"You too," she gasped out, clutching her wing and closing her eyes tight. "My dear gosh, this _hurts_!"

At that moment the LEP burst in, each calm and systematic. Holly stood by the door and everyone was ushered outside. Foaly remained on the computer, instructing the fairies and watching to make sure no mistakes were made.

As they sat in the nearby room, waiting for Foaly to call them in, the three of them were oddly tired. It wasn't until Holly started up on Artemis that things became uncomfortable.

"So, Arty, how was it kissing an Angel?" She said, with a smirk.

Artemis scowled. "Not funny, Holly."

"I beg to differ, Artemis," Butler cut in. "Seeing you nearly fall over was quite an amusing feat."

The two laughed while Artemis pouted, sulking and clearly unhappy. Butler left the room, deciding that with Holly, the only thing he was in danger of was a punch on the shoulder if Artemis made any nasty remark.

As soon as the door was shut, Artemis let his mouth run, knowing if he'd said anything in front of Butler, he'd be murdered on spot. He smirked at Holly.

"This is now the second time I've been kissed by a magic-powered female." Artemis pointed out, heading towards the door. He was in desperate need of a shower after not taking one since yesterday morning. It was now a half past 3am.

Holly froze, the image of that event flashing repeatedly in her mind, and a conversation that had followed.

"_. . . But your fairy-kissing days are over."_

"_I see."_

"_It's not a challenge, Artemis. Over is over."_

"_I know_."

She turned to glare at him, though he was halfway out the door. Artemis had paused to give her his signature vampire smile.

"Although," He touched his chin thoughtfully before looking at her again. "I think I preferred my first kiss better than that." He frowned, moving his hand to his mouth. "This one hurt a little. The other was much gentler."

Holly was stunned, staring at him incredulously, her mouth agape. Satisfied, Artemis headed out, shutting the door behind him and snickering to himself. He had a feeling Holly wasn't going to bother him about this kiss anymore.

Recently, Foaly had decided to keep an eye on everyone while they were staying at Fowl Manor. He'd been watching that the whole time.

Later, Foaly was going to be having a serious conversation with Holly . . . okay, maybe not so serious.


	3. Nerve Damage

So, recap, Artemis is napping, while Ethryn is under surgery, and Foaly is planning on harassing Holly about kissing Artemis.

And also, I just realized this might be confusing. Her name is pronounced E-thrin, short E, not a long one. Like the way you pronounce the 'e' in egg.

* * *

**Chapter 3  
"Nerve Damage"**

**Fowl Manor, Guest Room**

"Spill it, Foaly," Holly demanded, to the TV screen in the room Butler had shown her into.

The centaur smirked for an unknown reason and said, "What do you mean?"

Holly glared, in no mood. "Its been five hours. How is Ethryn doing?"

"Well, you've got to understand Holly, these things take time-."

"Foaly-."

"-We haven't seen Angels in a millennium, at the very least, and have no background available to on mending wings-."

"_Foaly_-."

"-I based the healing off a bird, Holly. A _bird_. Do you know how degrading that is-?"

"Foaly!" Holly shouted, having had enough of his ignoring her. "How is she?"

The centaur gave a sigh, "She's . . . _mending_. Whether or not we set the skin right or the small bone fracture back _perfectly_ isn't a positive thing, but I've got complete confidence that she'll be able to fly when she wakes up."

"You put her into a comma?"

"Her wing being chipped is the equivalent of you dividing your arm in half and having it sliced, right down the middle." Holly winced at the unfriendly imagery. "Luckily, Angels can withstand most violence and more pain then cats. If it was anything else, it would've gone into shock and rolled over dead before you could reach it at all."

"Mm," said Holly. That was the signature, 'Okay, I get it, shut up' for pretty much anyone talking to Foaly or Artemis. Just because they were geniuses and could give lectures at any point in time didn't mean anyone wanted to hear them. "When is Ethryn expected to wake up?"

"About an hour or so. I'm not sure how sensitive her systems are to our medicines. For this, I combined a mud-man and a bird, because, well, I've really got nothing else to-."

"Yeah, yeah, genius problems," Holly interrupted. "Just tell me when she's up, okay?"

Foaly grumbled something to the effect of 'bossy' but it was ignored. "Yeah, fine, sure. Later, Holly."

She flipped the TV off with the remote next to her bed.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

"She's just disappeared! Can you believe that?" He screeched, slamming his hands against the desk. More injury was done to the piece of furniture then his hands.

In the corner, a female younger then even Estelle frowned. "Calm down, Tristan."

He rounded on her, "Do _not_ tell me what to do!"

The girl stood, her eyes narrowing. It was a warning, "Excuse me?"

Tristan took several deep breathes, to calm himself, before bowing to her. "My apologies, little sister. I simply cannot believe that she wouldn't even consider my offer."

She snorted, sitting back down. "You're not as irresistible as you think, Tristan. She's young and wants to use her long life to its full expectancy, not marry when she's hardly more then a baby."

Tristan gave her a look, "You're not much more of a baby yourself, Ellen."

In case you've yet to notice, names beginning with 'E' are common for female Angels, especially those who are in an upper class, or have any relations to someone in an upper class. Tristan and his sister were almost considered royalty.

Ellen shrugged, "I'm not naive, like she is. Daddy has informed me of more things then what Ethryn could know in a lifetime."

"Don't mention him to me," He warned.

Seeing the rise she was getting from him, she smirked, "Come now, brother. Don't be so sensitive."

With an exasperated sigh, Tristan let his hand slide down his face in frustration. He took a few minutes to think, while Ellen played with her hands boredly before declaring, "We _will_ find her."

Her brow rose, and she stopped, "We, brother? Did you truly just say 'we'? Really, Tristan. Since when have I become involved in your odd, if not somewhat mildly disturbing courtship?"

Tristan was pacing, the signature movement he did when thinking. "She likes you, remember?"

"And I like her," Ellen reminded him. "Mind you, brother, I have few friends, and Ethryn was my friend long before she became the object of your affections. I'm not turning traitor against one of the minimal people who enjoy my company and vise-versa."

Tristan huffed, "I thought you said she was naive."

"Everyone's naive. _You're_ naive, too, Tristan, if you think this will work. Angels who choose the side of evil are destined to fail."

"I haven't chosen evil!" He shouted, glaring full force at her.

Ellen hardly payed it mind, "Show me your wings, then, Tristan." He hesitated, and her eyes narrowed. "Did I stutter? Now, Tristan."

Then, they spread, and a few fell off, as was usual. Ellen stood, walking over and picking up the lone black feather, just as it gently floated to the floor below. Ethryn rubbed the silk-soft feather in between her fingers for a moment before her gaze softened.

"You have . . . betrayed us then," stated she, turning her back on him.

"You're not one of them, baby sister," Tristan growled, threateningly, "You know it. You've always known it."

Ellen paused, one hand on the door frame as she glanced down at the feather, still in her hand. Very slowly her fist curled around it, crushing it gently.

"Maybe," she replied. "But at least I'm not as weak minded as you. I have the sense to keep sensible."

That did it.

Ellen felt his hand on her shoulder, forcibly turning her to make her face him. Tristan's expression was the spitting image of one so calm they could kill. Her shoulders began to ache at the grip he had on her. Ellen had been expecting this, but even still, she could not keep the look of surprise off her face.

"You will help me, Ellen," he stated, matter-of-factly. Casually, he removed a strand of hair from her face, that had fallen out of place from being moved so quickly. "And whether you like it or not, together, we shall return Ethryn home." A smile graced her brother's lips, though it felt out of place, and Ellen resisted a shiver. "And she shall be my bride."

Ellen felt him grip her necklace, and saw him grab hold of his. With a sharp tug to both, they came off.

"What have you done!" She screamed, finding her voice at the last moment.

Tristan did not respond, as an electric rainbow triangle appeared below them, and they fell through.

A few moments later, a maid would run into the room to find the children missing, and nothing but a terrifying (to her, and most of her species), black feather in the center of the room. Policemen would be called, but no sign of them would be found. It was assumed a new Dark Angel had kidnapped them, which, admittedly, was almost true.

Close enough, right?

* * *

**Fowl Manor, Artemis's Room**

Artemis slept, at the moment. He was a light sleeper, thanks to Butler. Rarely had it ever proved to be useful except when one or both of his younger brothers had attempted to sneak into his room, proving unsuccessful.

He woke at once when he heard a quiet knock on the door. Worried, he sat up immediately.

"You dressed, Mud-Boy?"

Rolling his eyes, he casually got up and put a bathrobe on. Artemis, unlike most of the teenagers his age, slept with pajamas on, and not in his underthings. Right now he had on a gray, silk, long-sleeved shirt, with matching pants. On the shirt his initials were sewn in, right onto the pocket, but that hardly mattered to him. The bathrobe was a black, long one with a tie around the middle, and he securely fastened it while heading towards his door, opening it.

"Yes, thank you very much, Foaly, I am dressed. Why would I not be?" Then his brow rose, "And . . . what, pray tell, is that?"

Foaly was currently on a screen, a mobile one. The screen was wafer-thin, and connected to a seemingly expendable chord. It had 'hands' connecting at the middle of the chord. It sat on a platform, with wheels.

"It's called the Mover."

"It looks like something drawn from a cartoon," replied Artemis. "But, I assume it has 'more advanced' features then the average human could imagine for a comic book of some sort, correct?"

"Right you are, Fowl," said the screen-projected centaur. His robotic hands curled into fists, placing themselves a few inches lower then from where they connected, in an irritated fashion. Artemis was almost amused. "Now are you going to let me into your room, or not?"

Artemis stepped aside, gesturing for Foaly to enter, which he did, without so much as a click from the robot's wheels. He half expected them to whine, like most human, rolling technology. Artemis shut the door, once he was inside. "Now what's this about, Foaly?"

"Not very patient, are ya, Mud-Boy?" He teased. Artemis simply sat down on his bed, expectantly. "Alright, well, ya see, I didn't want to talk to Holly first, cause I figured she'd murder me, so I figured, I'd get the answers before I started-."

"What do you wish to know?" Artemis interrupted, losing his patience. He wasn't much of a morning person, and did not enjoy being woken up with only four hours of sleep to function on. "I want to get this over with, so I can get more rest."

Foaly snorted, "You human adolescents sleep so much." But at Artemis's glare (which was something truly frightening to almost any being in existence), he continued. Foaly drew a courageous breath before blurting, "I think you kissed Holly!"

A moment after shouting this, he firmly covered his mouth. Both geniuses proceeded to stare at one another for painfully long minutes before Foaly slowed released the hold on his lips, warily.

"So . . . is it true?" He finally said, his face edging closer to the camera, making himself seem bigger.

Artemis seemed to snap out of his initial shock, closing his eyes and pinching his fingers on the bridge of his nose. Foaly gulped. This was the classic, 'Artemis is irritated and/or frustrated' thing.

With a sigh, he looked up, appearing very worn, suddenly. Like a father who'd just been up all night, listening to his newborn scream for three hours straight for no reason whatsoever.

"What are you talking about?" Artemis demanded, "Who told you this?"

Foaly immediately began spilling his guts to Artemis, terrified, though he was very far away from Artemis. Looking at him through a life-sized projection made it seem all too real. A side-effect, he realized, but was too scared to recognize it at the moment.

"Well, I bugged your house and-."

"I already knew that," snapped the teenager. "Tell me something I don't know, which isn't much, Foaly, but continue nonetheless."

"I heard you and Holly when you were in the other room," Foaly replied, feeling sheepish. At the moment, he really regretted listening in on his two friends. "When you were talking about-."

"Kissing," Artemis looked horrified, his eyes wide before groaning and shutting, placing his face in his hands. "Damn you, Foaly!"

"I really am sorry, Artemis," It was a rare time Foaly called him by his first name. That just showed how sorry he was. "I was just keeping an eye one everyone and- WAIT, IT'S TRUE!"

At his sudden outburst, Artemis flinched, looking up to glare. "Thank you for your heartfelt apology, Foaly. It touches me just how much remorse you're feeling for spying on a_ supposed to be _and _thought to be_ private conversation."

Again, the centaur felt stupid. "Right . . . Sorry, again."

"Right," Artemis scoffed before scowling at the computer image. "Out, Foaly. _Now_."

"But-."

"Out," the genius ordered, emphasizing by pointing to the door. "I refuse to speak any more on this subject."

The centaur wheeled towards the door, pouting before spinning to look back at Artemis, "But, its true, right?"

"_**Foaly**_," Artemis warned, practically growling.

The computer gave an 'eep' sound before Foaly said, "Going!" and quickly opened the door, shutting it behind him.

Artemis waited a few minutes, to make sure he was gone, before logging onto his computer. No doubt his obnoxiously curious (but currently useful) centaur genius would go ask Holly about it. Obviously, it would be amusing. As soon as he logged onto the video feed in his Manor, he turned to the hallway outside of Holly's room. Artemis refused to hack into Holly's actual guest room, fearing she might be in found in an, ahem, less then fully clothed fashion. Not until Foaly entered the room would he, so to speak.

At this very moment, the robotic device knocked on Holly's door.

* * *

**Fowl Manor, Holly's Room**

Holly was out of bed immediately at the knock, prepared for the worst, as an LEP officer would. She quickly pulled on her uniform over her bathing-suit-like outfit she always wore under her attire. This all happened in four seconds, flat, and Holly ripped the door open.

Her alarm only heightened when she saw Foaly. "What's wrong? Is Ethryn alright?"

"Y-Yeah, she's fine," he stuttered, the robotic fingers twiddling nervously. "Holly, c-can I talk to you about something?"

Confused, Holly nodded, allowing him into her room. "Sure, Foaly. Well, actually, that depends, but go ahead anyways."

"Holly . . . you'd tell me anything, right?"

Not liking the way this was going, she warily replied, "Possibly."

"Okay, well then, I'm just going to spit this out." Foaly gained faux confidence, but Holly couldn't tell. "Holly, I know you kissed Artemis. Now don't lie to me, Miss Short, I want the truth. Did you, or did you not, kiss the Mud-Boy Fowl?"

Immediately, Holly was shouting. "What the hell are you talking about, Foaly? How did you even . . . How is that any of your business, whether or not its true? Ugh! You're such a nosy little-!"

"YOU DID!" Foaly shouted back, shocked, an accusing finger pointed at his best friend. "Holly, really! A Mud-Boy?"

Holly crossed her arms, "I didn't mean to, it just kind of . . . happened. And don't thing I'm not going to pummel you later for this!"

"Until then," he shrugged, "Now, explain. What do you mean 'it just kind of happened'? _How_ did it happen? _When_ did it happen? Oh no, Holly, he didn't force you or anything, did he?"

In his room, Artemis snorted in disgust and disbelief. "Right, because I could force her to do anything."

Shortly after, in her room, Holly also snorted, "Right, cause he could force me to do anything. No, it was just, when we went into the past to go get that monkey-."

"Lemur."

"Whatever!" Holy sighed, trying to keep her cool. "My hormones went haywire. I was younger. It was like I was a teenager again, and Artemis almost died, again, for the umpteenth time, but my body wasn't used to it, so I just sort of . . . kissed him, when he woke up, because I was so overwhelmed."

Foaly's brow rose, "So what, Artemis is your therapy? When you get stressed, you're just going to go smooching the Mud-Boy and everything will be better?"

Holly turned her back on him, "You know, I don't _have_ to be telling you this, Foaly. If you're going to be a jerk about it, then I'm not going to talk to you anymore."

Immediately, his attitude changed, "Hey, I didn't mean it like that, Holly. I just . . . well, I can't say it was _entirely_ unexpected, but I can say I just didn't think either of you would keep it a secret. Its nothing to be ashamed of-."

"What are you going on about?" Holly interrupted, not following. "Kissing Artemis was a result of screwed up hormones, so you're right, its nothing to be ashamed of. But it wasn't relevant to any topic or conversation, and so neither of us ever mentioned it."

Foaly huffed, pouting, "Geez, you sound like Fowl himself."

"Alright, that's it." Holly grabbed the machine by its arm, rolling him outside.

"Hey!" Foaly protested. "What are you doing?"

"Out you go!" Holly shouted, shoving him out the door. "And stop spying on me!" Then, to Artemis's surprise, she began looking up at the ceiling in various areas, only glancing at the camera once before roaming to a new spot. "And that goes for you, too, Artemis. There's no doubt in my mind you knew Foaly was going to do this!"

And with that, she slammed the door shut.

From his room once again, Artemis chuckled, shutting the laptop. His mirth was only towards how flustered Foaly had seemed, out in the hallway, at being very literally thrown out of Holly's room. But towards his fairy friend, he felt nervous. Had she thought this was his fault?

Irritated at Foaly for possibly creating a ripple in their friendship that did not need to be there, Artemis undid his bathrobe and went back into his bed, thoughts of his situation buzzing around in his head. And besides his social circle, he also had other things to worry about. Ethryn had obviously not woken up yet. He hoped she was alright.

* * *

**Fowl Manor, Ethryn's Room**

It wasn't until 9:47a.m. did Ethryn awake, with a yawn. Angel's didn't yawn unless drugged or had been severely tired, which she had no doubt in her mind she was both.

The blankets fell off her chest as she sat up, immediately noticing her wings had been carefully placed, so as not to make her uncomfortable or damage them, she assumed. Almost nothing could damage an Angel wing, save their weapons and humans. No fairy could have harmed her in the least, certainly. It was physically impossible, for whatever reason.

A bandage covered her wing, and she flapped it, as it felt somewhat numb. The pain was almost gone entirely, except for a small ache where the cut was. And already, that seemed to be fading. She jumped in surprise when the TV before her revealed the centaur from before, who seemed pleased at her awakening.

"Good morning, Ethryn," he said.

Ethryn gave a sparkling smile that would but a grin on the most bitterest of people. "Why hello, Foaly."

"So you remembered," He seemed pleased. "Good. Then you're memory wasn't affected."

"I'm pleasantly surprised, Foaly," she said, gesturing to her wing. "I wasn't sure you could fix it right, but it seems brand new."

"You sure?"

"Yes, quite positive. I would feel if there was something amiss about it," She assured him before noticing that the room was empty. "Where is everyone else?"

"Oh, they're all running around, trying to keep busy. I'll let them know you're up."

Ethryn's expression matched that of a kicked puppy, saying, "Oh, I didn't mean to frighten anyone."

Foaly waved it off, on the phone. "Don't worry about it-. Holly? Yeah, Ethryn's up . . . One sec." Foaly put the device down, looking at Ethryn through the screen once again. "You up for visitors?"

"Certainly," Ethryn replied, moving the covers aside. She then seemed mildly surprised, twisting and turning to examine her new wardrobe change with curiosity. "What's this?"

"It's what humans call a hospital gown," Foaly explained before getting back on the phone. "Yeah, she'd love to see you guys . . . Hold on." Once again, he set the phone aside. "Ethryn, is there any specific things Angels eat?"

Ethryn paused a moment, swishing the unshapely dress this way and that. "Um, not really. We eat a lot of fruit, vegetables, bread, wheat, healthy things for humans but just what we eat back where I come from. No meat, though. We only eat eggs if they're sterile chickens, which, surprisingly, is about half of the population. That's the closest to meat we get."

"Gotcha," He talked to Holly once more, "Just healthy stuff. Pretty much the same thing we eat. No meats, though, of course, but she'll eat eggs if there wasn't a chicken in it before . . . Okay . . . See ya in a few." Foaly hung up before noticing Ethryn was spinning, obviously happy at wearing something so free and able to flow so naturally. "They'll be up in a few."

"Alright," Ethryn stopped, looking up curiously. "Tell me, is this what humans normally wear?"

"No, actually, they wear a lot of stuff." Foaly replied, "We have a change of clothes for you, but, we weren't sure how you made your clothes, so, Artemis offered his credit card for you to go shopping later, if you wanted to, when you're feeling better. You'll be here a while, and he figured you wouldn't want his mother's hand-me-downs."

"Credit card," Ethryn thought of this word a moment, "Humans use this for purchasing things, right?"

"You got it," He agreed.

The Angel frowned, "I really don't need new clothes. Its not like it matters to me."

"He says there's not much that would probably fit you," Foaly said, typing something on his computer. She could hear him clicking away at the keyboard. "Its just Artemis. He thinks everyone should have jets, and anyone who doesn't isn't worth his time."

"Jets let humans fly," Ethryn replied, as if Foaly didn't know this. Truthfully, she was just testing out her new knowledge on humans, given to her by the boy who she didn't know very well, but was offering her so much. Odd. "Are people always this generous?"

"Not normally," The centaur seemed to consider this. "Artemis just gets bored with things. As much as he refuses to admit it, he loves having something to do. Especially when it involves fairies and magic. So long as he doesn't have to do any physical exertion, he's happy."

Ethryn giggled, jumping onto the bed. Unlike most hospital gowns, this one did not tie loosely in the back, allowing everyone a lovely view of ones backside. This one was sewn to fit Ethryn, while she slept, by the female LEP nurses trained to do special occasions like this. Surely no elf gown would fit Ethryn. The sewing ended just below her wings, exposing her back some inches from the waist up. But her wings blocked any real view of her back, anyways, and it wasn't like anyone would be looking.

"This Artemis seems interesting. What about Miss Short? She seems nice, too." Ethryn, while speaking, snuck back under the covers of the bed, snuggling comfortably.

"Only if you're on her good side," Foaly chuckled. "Anyways, you sure you're feeling alright?"

"I'm perfectly fine," Ethryn replied, just as someone knocked. "Come in!"

Artemis, Holly, Butler, and a few med-techs entered the room. The techs began examining a curious Ethryn, who asked a few questions on what they were doing and/or looking for.

Butler distracted her, carrying a silver tray of food. He placed it in front of her, catching her attention. "I wasn't sure what you liked, so we decided to bring you a little bit of everything."

Ethryn leaned forward, examining all the fruit, vegetables, toast, butter, jam, and various juices. She giggled, "You really didn't have to do this for me. Any of this would have been fine."

"Nonsense," Holly replied, jumping onto the foot of the bed. "It's Artemis's just, and so, it's our job to take as much as possible while we're here, just to make him happy."

Artemis scoffed, rolling his eyes. All had been forgiven.

**(Earlier)**

Holly sat at the table, watching Butler set the dishes and things. "Doesn't it ever get boring?"

"What?" Butler replied, "Placing silverware?"

"Any of it," Holly shouted, exasperated. "Cleaning, taking care of Artemis, protecting him-."

"When you're Artemis's bodyguard," Butler interrupted. "You never get bored."

Holly agreed, silently, when they both noticed Artemis entered the room, in an Armani suit, as usual. Immediately, Butler noticed the two staring at one another with unreadable expressions.

He cleared his throat, "I'll just be going to check on the food. Be back shortly."

The two watched him leave. As soon as the door shut, Artemis said, "Its come to my knowledge Foaly has spied on our previous conversation."

"No kidding, Fowl."

"I want to apologize," Artemis continued. "It's my fault. I brought it up in the first place."

Holly rolled her eyes, "Its not your fault, Artemis. It's Foaly's for being such a nosy butt-face."

"Butt-face?" Artemis demanded. "Really, Holly, did you just say 'butt-face'?"

"Shut up, Artemis," Holly snapped. "Anyways, what are we going to do about it?"

"I didn't think revenge was your style, Miss Short."

"Can you do it or not, Artemis?"

He scoffed, "Of course I can. Just tell me what you need."

She grinned, evilly.

Artemis noticed. "It would appear I'm rubbing off on you, Holly."

Holly shrugged, "Oh well, just listen, Mud-Boy, here's what we're gonna do. . ."

**(Present Time)**

"Gee, thanks, Holly," Artemis retorted.

Butler place his hand on both of their shoulders, "No fighting in front of guests, you two. Don't think I won't put you in time out."

Ethryn clamped her hands over her mouth, suppressing a giggle while Holly and Artemis gave Butler incredulous looks.

"A time out?" Artemis asked, in disbelief. "You can't be serious."

"Time outs are children punishments, right?" Ethryn asked, once she was done laughing.

Holly nodded, "Yeah, mainly for human kids under 9."

"I was never put on a time-out," Artemis stated, haughtily. "Someone of my intelligence learned to avoid being caught if one was doing something wrong at all."

"Artemis Fowl never punished," Holly said. "That explains so much."

"Anyways," Butler intervened. "How does the food taste, Ethryn?"

She smiled, having consumed a piece of toast, with jam in one bite and butter in the other (because she'd never had either, and decided she liked them both) and various fruits. "Its very good, thank you. The best I've ever had."

"I'm glad to hear it," said Butler, obviously pleased with himself.

Artemis noted this, and continued with Foaly's earlier point, unknown to him. "So, Ethryn, I assume those clothes are uncomfortable, correct?"

"A bit," Ethryn admitted. "But I like them. They swish, would you like to see?"

Holly's brow rose, but Artemis simply ignored her oblivious statement, shaking his head. "No thank you, that's not necessary. But, as I was trying to say, if you feel well enough to hide your wings for a short while in public, when people can see us, we'd be glad to take you shopping to find more_ comfortable_ 'swishy' clothes."

Ethryn's face lit up a moment before considering this, "I feel fine, to be honest. But, I don't want to spend your money. You've already been very kind to me."

"Ah, Artemis is loaded," Foaly intervened, from the TV. "Even if you spent one-hundred grand, that wouldn't even put a dent in his finances. Heck, it wouldn't even make a scratch in them!"

"Its true enough," the teenage genius agreed. "I'll just have Butler take us to a more exclusive store. You could pass as a distant cousin of mine, so there won't be any talk, anyways. Is that alright with you?"

After a hesitant pause, she agreed, "Yes, that's fine."

"Good," Holly seemed oddly cheerful. "Then we'll go through Angeline's old stuff and see what we can scrape up for you. Come on," she took Ethryn's hand. "Let's go."

"Butler, will you take them?" Artemis asked, standing and heading towards the direction of his room. He wasn't quite used to interacting so civilly, especially when planning revenge. Being around such a cheerful person as Ethryn was starting to give him a headache. "I have business to attend to in my room."

"Of course, Artemis." Then in more hushed tones, "Nothing illegal, I hope."

Artemis Junior shook his head, "Of course not. Just security to double-check, flush out any pests."

Butler sighed. He knew Artemis was referring to something else, but, thinking better then to protest to something Artemis had obvious set his mind to doing, simply nodded, "Very well, Artemis."

"Have fun," He offered to the girls, beside his large companion. Artemis felt those were appropriate words, and with that, turned to leave, parting with his friends.

He did, after all, have 'business' to attend to.

* * *

This chapter's called "Nerve Damage" to misguide you into thinking there's something wrong with Ethryn. In actuality, it's just how Foaly was being such a pansy. :-D


	4. Unfortunate

So, yesh. They're going shopping, but its more of a learning thing then a clothes thing. This shallt not be a montage-worthy scene!

Continue reading. And yes, I start mid-conversation just to bug you and keep things mildly confusing and/or mysterious.

* * *

**Chapter 4  
"Unfortunate"**

**Ireland, Exclusive Mall**

"Yes," Agreed Artemis, "And do you know _why_?"

"Because you're a jerk?" Holly offered, in children clothing with her hair placed over her ears.

Surprisingly, the Fowl's had been sent children female clothing when Angeline was pregnant with the twins. That just goes to show how much they payed attention and whether or not they actually cared if they got the clothes gender-friendly and age appropriate. The clothes were for preteens, children, and even some for Angeline, while she was pregnant. Holly now wore one of those dresses, complaining about them any time they were out of hearing range from other people at the mall.

"Funny, Holly," retorted Artemis. "Now Ethryn, would you like to answer?"

Ethryn recovered from laughing at Holly's latest remark before replying, "Because when humans do things that goes against their society, others bring it upon themselves to bring them to justice, or at least, some form of it. That's why you did it."

"Correct," said he. "And, as it turned out, I sold it for a profit anyways. Apparently, some long time person hounding after the hotel, and just waiting for the perfect opportunity to take it."

"Whatever," Holly grumbled, once again pulling at the hem of the dress that did not quite fit her.

Butler chuckled, "Well, Holly. It seems you're not one for undercover, are you?"

"Undercover is one thing," Holly whined, glaring at the dress. "Skirts are something entirely different."

"Ah, Master Fowl!" The over-enthusiastic store clerk shouted as they approached the entrance. You had to pay just to get a reservation, and then a background check on your credit to make sure you could pay for the things in the shop. "So nice to see you! To what do we owe this visit?"

"We have a reservation," Artemis explained.

He'd hardly gotten the words out of his mouth before she was speaking again, "Reservation? Oh, I won't even check. The Fowl's don't do anything without planning, do they?"

"So it would seem," he replied, with a look to his companions that said 'she can't be serious, can she?'.

"Very well, follow me," The doorman held the curtains aside, and she pushed the doors open. They entered with Butler warily eying all of the shoppers and workers, ready to spring at any moment.

"Wow," Ethryn gasped, staring. With a gentle nudge from Butler though, she composed herself before anyone could see. Rather then pretend to be impressed, she gave a look to Artemis, just as they'd practiced earlier. "This is where you wanted to take me, cousin?"

It was best to be heard, in front of a witness, that they were related, and that one of the famous Fowl's was not just parading around a gold-digger or some first-class slut. This was made very clear by both Artemis and Butler.

"Yes, I know," the genius replied, examining his nails. "It was the best I could do on such short notice, Ethryn. I know how you love to shop when you're in the area."

"Surprise visits are my specialty," She agreed, with a sigh. "Very well, it'll do. But you're paying, then."

"Like it matters," He scoffed. Then, knowing full well the clerk had been hanging on their every word, instructed her. "We'll call you if we need any help. You may go."

Straightening, she nodded vigorously. "Yes, Master Fowl." She then nodded to Ethryn. "And it was nice meeting you, Miss Ethryn. We love having new shoppers into the store, and we do hope its to your liking."

"Yes, well," Ethryn eyed up the woman (who gulped, self-consciously) like she herself spoke for the store. "We'll just see about that, now won't we?" Ethryn held her hand out to Holly, then. "Come on, little sister. Let's see what we can find here, yes?"

Holly nodded. She wasn't allowed to speak, because obviously, her voice wasn't that of a young girls. People automatically began pointing, gesturing to the small party. But as soon as Artemis or Butler looked at them, they were silent. Though still very young, Artemis was intimidating as always. And the giant Butler wasn't exactly fragile looking, either.

"Look at this," Ethryn said, catching Artemis's attention.

He looked to see her holding up a backless, white dress. And it flowed, just like she liked it. It seemed to go to her knees, and was much freer then the cinched dress she'd arrived in. Also, that one was partially blood-stained, and in need of a few repairs. Artemis was not one to enjoy 'shopping', as most teenagers were these days. Instead of acting joyfully, he simply allowed the garment a nod before looking around the store idly. Holly gave it a thumbs up, keeping her mute role.

"Its very pretty, Ethryn," Butler commented, allowing a small smile.

Ethryn nodded her agreement, letting it drape over her arm before going through rack after rack, removing at least one thing from each of them, which caught the eye of the clerks and a few shoppers. Some females were eying them enviously, as Ethryn was obviously naturally prettier then all of them.

"Don't you want to try those on?" Artemis asked, eventually, as she was now examining them warily.

The Angel seemed surprised, lowering her voice, "You can do that?"

Artemis nodded, snapping his fingers. Immediately a different woman from before, this one surprisingly pretty and genuinely kind. Still, she had nothing on Ethryn, and even Holly was prettier. Not to say that Holly wasn't attractive. She just had a different beauty then this girl's shy-like appearance.

"Hello, I'm Kara. What can I help you with?" She asked, immediately.

Artemis appreciated she hadn't asked 'Do you need anything?'. Obviously, if he had been trying to catch someone's attention, he needed assistance with something. He gestured to Ethryn, "My cousin would like to use the dressing room."

Kara eyed the large amount of clothes, but thought better of mentioning the dressing room limit. "Alright. Follow me, please. This way now, Miss Fowl."

Ethryn followed after a pause, realizing _she_ was Miss Fowl, for the time being. Holly hadn't even looked at anything at first, explaining she wasn't going to be out in public. But Artemis insisted that as long as Ethryn was going to be around the house in human clothes (and they would probably be spied upon, as Fowl's from out of town were adored by press), it was best she do the same. After all, they might have to make a few appearances, so as not to arouse suspicion on why Ethryn and Holly were being kept in seclusion.

So to her dismay, Holly had a few shirts and pants. Not one single skirt, Artemis noticed with amusement. He covered his chuckle, turning it into a cough, but Butler seemed to think this funny as well. He let his smile show a moment before returning to steel.

"Here you are," Kara unlocked the doors to the stalls, revealing unnecessarily extravagant rooms. Ethryn seemed pleased, and Holly didn't seem to approve. Artemis was used to things being over-exaggerated, and so did not care.

"Have fun," he commented, smirking, as Holly was pouting and Ethryn all-too-excited.

Kara waved, "Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything, Master Fowl, Miss Fowl."

"We won't," Artemis said, bluntly. Seeing it was time for her to go, she left, hurriedly.

Holly watched her leave before glaring at Artemis, "Shut it, Mud-Boy."

His smirk widened as she slammed the door shut, and Ethryn simply closed hers. Butler watched him sit on one of the couches, hack into the stores Wi-Fi with ease, and begin to working on his project of reversing Global Warming with Foaly. The snowflakes were just beginning to come into the building process, and the only thing was to figure out which radiation dump company was the worst, and so which to blame it on. There was also overlooking some of his financial stocks, which his father had yet to notice were still in Artemis's care, and so the boy was continuing to handle these with pleasure. They were doing extremely well, and he'd just begun to move some of his investments around when he heard the door open, and glanced up.

"Alright," Holly hissed, quietly. The dressing rooms each had separate sections, so as to provide maximum privacy, but still. It never hurt to be cautious. "Who slipped _this_ into the pile?"

Holly held up a dress, for a child, and was admittedly pretty. She wasn't wearing it, instead had on one of the pants and a black shirt she'd grabbed, as a last resort. Artemis bit his lip, to hide his laughter, but shook his head. Holly glared suspiciously at him until Ethryn came out, in the first white dress she'd grabbed (having grabbed at least six, and multiple white shirts with slim, designer jeans).

"That would be me, actually," she admitted.

Artemis gave Holly a defiant 'I told you so' expression before going back to his laptop.

"I thought you might like it," The Angel continued, sheepishly. "Sorry."

"Its fine," Holly grumbled before shutting the door.

Artemis did not keep track of time, instead paying attention to the work at hand. Butler simply stood by, silently, as he normally did. Surprisingly, the store did not do a weapons check, or surely they would not have been allowed inside.

"Well, I'm done," Holly said, sounding tired and plopping down next to Artemis. She peered over his shoulder, "What are you doing, Fowl?"

"Nothing illegal, which I'm sure is what you meant." He replied, not even bothering to look up at her. "But if you must know, I'm working out our Global Warming problem, Holly."

"Oh," She then sat back, boredly. A few minutes later, Ethryn came out, seeming satisfied.

"I'll have the workers ring it up, then," Artemis said immediately, shutting his laptop and standing. "I'll return in a moment."

Holly watched Butler follow him, automatically, and Artemis paid him no mind. It wasn't until she noticed Ethryn eying him from behind did she allow a wry smirk.

"Checking out your host?" Holly asked, smirking.

Ethryn smiled as well, turning to Holly and shaking her head, "Artemis is simply . . . interesting. He tries to hide a lot about himself."

"That's Artemis," Holly agreed, crossing her legs and slouching. "Mister Mystery."

The Angel giggled, "Not many can hide anything from an Angel." She placed a few fingers on her chin, in thought. "Artemis is actually easier to figure out then you'd think. Not predictable, just indifferent."

"That makes no sense, I hope you know that," Holly pointed out. Ethryn cleared her throat and she sat up, immediately, uncrossing her legs like a lady and fixing her hair over her ears quickly.

A few workers turned the corner, about five, each folding the clothes and taking them to the front counter. Holly's brow rose, watching as each of them had a large load.

Artemis watched, bored, before gesturing for the girls to follow them. They stood, and Holly continued to fidget with her dress until Artemis took her hand, handing it to Ethryn. He was clearly uncomfortable pretending to be either of their relatives, and so left it to the better actors. The teen genius was good at being an asshole teenager, not an affectionate family member. Ethryn and Holly gave each other looks, smiling, but Ethryn led her 'younger sister' right along to the counter. They both stifled shocked expressions at the price, but Artemis hardly took a glance at it before handing them his credit card. After signing the receipt, he asked they take the bags to his car, which they did, and easily slipped them into one of the larger cars his mother usual took when shopping. Artemis forced them both into shoe shopping as well, for as comfortable as Ethryn was with walking around barefoot and Holly in her combat boots, it couldn't be allowed in public. The shoes they wore now had been rush-ordered, and delivered within the hour.

"Ugh," Holly groaned, getting in the car and flipping her 'watch' open to show a holograph of an irritated Foaly. She ignored him, speaking to Artemis instead, "Does shopping always take this long for you rich people, Artemis?"

"Yes, why?" He questioned, turning in the seat across from her. The seat lined both walls, curving like a limo and about as extravagant as one, however unnecessary. Ethryn was currently playing with some of the necklaces she'd bought. Artemis hadn't really cared. It didn't seem like he cared if they decided to buy the whole mall complex, which he probably could afford anyways.

Ethryn held a silver necklace with a small blue diamond in front of Holly's face, showing her the piece. "What's this gem called?"

"Diamond," Foaly answered for her. "I see you girls had fun."

"Some of us did," Holly once again tugged at her ensemble. "I can't wait to be back in my nice, comfortable uniform. I can't understand why you Mud-Men _like_ these things."

"Mud-People aren't the only ones, Holly," Foaly reminded her. "Fairy girls wear dresses too, you just don't follow _the flow_."

"Mm," Holly hardly payed attention, instead pulling at the collar. "Can this thing go any faster, Butler? The sooner we get back the manor, the quicker I can get out of this thing."

"I'm right on the speed-limit, Holly," Butler informed her, after speeding up. "We'll be home soon, don't worry."

"So, everything comfortable for you, Ethryn?" Foaly asked.

Ethryn nodded, "Yes. All backless. I should be able to stretch my wings while wearing these."

"Yes, we're actually looking at your clothing material, if you don't mind. We're curious as to how your wings just automatically go through without snapping."

"Of course I don't mind," she leaned back in the seat, looking around. "Wait, no one can see us in this car, right?"

"Tinted and bullet proof," Butler informed her. "Actually, they're missile proof too, but to answer you're question, no one can see you if you want to stretch out your wings."

Immediately, they spread wide, and she sighed in relief. "Ah, much better. I was starting to get sore."

"Weird," Foaly's hologram leaned forward, looking at the still patched wing, "I would've thought the stitching would've fallen off."

They pulled up into the manor and weren't entirely surprised to see paparazzi there. Immediately paranoid, Ethryn slowly pulled her wings back in, pressing her face close to the window before flinching as a camera flashed unknowingly in her face.

"Ow," she rubbed her eyes.

Holly touched her arm, "You okay?"

"Yes, I just wasn't expecting that."

Artemis glared at them, "They can be quite annoying, sometimes."

"So it would seem," Holly agreed.

They pulled up and Butler began unloading the car.

"Remember," Artemis whispered, before opening the door, "Let them see you. We don't want to make it look as though we're hiding anything, alright?"

"Got it," Ethryn gave him a thumbs up before exiting the car, circling around to open the door for Holly, who pretended to have trouble getting out, as she was so young looking. For good measure, she gave optimistic but disapproving expressions to the paparazzi.

"This is ridiculous," Holly muttered.

Ethryn nodded her agreement, winking at Holly before releasing her, approaching Artemis. "Cousin?"

Artemis's brow rose as he pulled his laptop out of the car, "They can't hear us, Ethryn."

The Angel pinched his cheek, "I bet the paparazzi will _love_ this though!"

Quickly, he pushed her hand away, scowling. He'd always hated when people did that. "Stop that."

"Stop being so fussy," she insisted, with a grin. "Whose older, me or you?"

Artemis rolled his eyes, "That depends. How old _are_ you, exactly?"

"I've just turned sixteen, in human standards and Angel standards."

"Then I'm older," he replied triumphantly. "I'm halfway to seventeen."

Ethryn grinned, "Then that means Holly and I are you're annoying younger cousins."

Artemis sighed, rubbing his temples as they entered the house. "The two of you are going to drive me insane."

Holly laughed, as did Ethryn, and once again, Butler allowed a smirk before entering the house.

It wasn't an hour later until Artemis got a call on his cell phone. Reading the caller ID, he groaned, flipping open the device. Of course, Butler was there to witness this.

"Hello, mom," He said, hiding his stress at having to talk to her.

"I see you've made yourself busy," His mother said, amused. "Let's see here, this article says, 'a worker on the inside informed us the older girl's name is Ethryn, but the younger cousin has yet to be identified'. Artemis, how could you not tell me family was visiting?"

"Mother, now is hardly the time for jokes."

"Tell Holly I said hi," Angeline insisted, ignoring him. "So what species is this Ethryn? Nymph?"

"Angel, actually, but not the kind you'd think," Artemis responded. "We're trying to make her blend while we figure out how to proceed with her, eh, problem."

"I get it," Mrs. Fowl replied. "Need to know basis. I miss you, Artemis. Vacation isn't the same without you, and your siblings are starting to get impatient. Hurry up so you can come back and join us."

"I'll do my best," he promised, without actually promising anything. "Now, I really must go, mother. Shall I call you later?"

"Only if you have time," His mother replied, cheerfully. "Goodbye, Artemis. Don't stress yourself out too much, you understand me? I don't want you catching that . . . disease, or whatever you called it, again."

Shivering at the memory, he agreed, saying 'I love you too, mother' at least three times before being allowed to hang up. When he did, he sighed, shaking his head. "I swear, Butler. I'm going to have an ulcer by the time this is over between dealing with this _and_ my family."

Butler eyed his stressed charge, "Maybe you _do_ need a vacation, Artemis."

"Perhaps."

At this time, they heard a commotion, and some unknown buzzing sound in the other room. Butler immediately took out his gun, motioning for Artemis to stay put before racing outside. To his dismay, he saw Artemis peek out of the room behind him, following slowly. The sound was coming from the music room and he quickly burst in, the door nearly blown of its hinges. He then froze, as a scream was heard. Artemis immediately ran in to see, and realized why Butler had placed his gun down.

Ethryn was playing with the instruments, watched by the elf guards. "I didn't mean to . . . what's that?"

Butler placed the gun back in its proper place, "Nothing. Please continue with your, eh, music making."

Artemis looked around the room, "Where's Captain Short?"

"You mean Holly?" Ethryn corrected, running her hands along the piano. "She said something about changing."

"Of course she did," Artemis grumbled before waving, heading back into the other room to think.

* * *

**Ireland, Location Unknown**

Both hit the floor, knocking the wind out of them for a split second. Tristan recovered before Ellen could, and gripped her by the front of her shirt, forcing her to her feet. He gave her a pat on the back, forcing the wind back into her lungs. It wasn't exactly a pleasant feeling.

"You're . . . _insane_," She hissed, gasping.

"That may be true," He replied, his wings pulling back into his body. The two looked over the area. "Hm, not exactly a sight-seeing place, is it?"

"Fields," Ellen agreed, finally recovering. "So now what, brother? Are you hunting her down, then? Terrorize the citizens in whatever dimension we're in until you find Ethryn?"

Tristan held up the necklaces they no longer wore, "Even if she doesn't have it, I know where it is. I'll find her."

"And if she left it somewhere?" Ellen demanded. "You're plan has flaws, Tristan. Please, let's just go home and forget about this-!"

"NO!" He shouted, and Ellen felt like she'd been slapped. The two stood, frozen, with Tristan having an numbing grip on her arm. Eventually, he loosened his grip and began dragging her. "Let's go."


	5. Contact

Hehe, Tristan FAILS.

* * *

**Chapter 5  
"Contact"**

**Norway, Ice Plateau**

It sparkled in his hand, and had it not been unbreakable, he would've crushed it in his rage.

"I warned you," Ellen muttered, from behind him. She then gave a yelp as he had placed bracelets around her wrist, which would harm her or bind her on his command. Ellen had no idea how he'd made them, as he'd blind-folded her, like a hostage rather then a sister.

He payed her pain no mind, instead saying, "Quiet, sister, I'm thinking."

Of course, out of reluctance to be hurt again, she agreed, keeping quiet. Honestly, she prayed that the two of them could just go home and forget about Ethryn. To her dismay, a sneer creeped across his lips.

"I know how to find her," he said, a deep chuckle beginning to form. "And won't she just _love_ it."

* * *

**Fowl Manor, Meeting Room**

"So, Ethryn, you have the table. Please explain how it is you got here," Trouble said, from the television in the room (one of many).

Ethryn fidgeted uncomfortably, in her new dress in between Holly and a LEP officer. Artemis sat at the head of the table, of course, and Foaly was behind Trouble, listening in on the same contact.

"I . . . was attacked," she began. "By a Dark Angel who wanted me for his bride. He and his younger sister used to be my friend, but I doubt Ellen had anything to with this. When he attacked me, after I refused, I pulled my necklace off to escape him. No one who's ever taken of their charm has ever returned, and so the world they ended up in was thought to be a very dangerous one, and so taking your charm off was considered suicide. But," she smiled, "I know why they wouldn't want to leave. Its very nice here."

"How many Angels have come before you?" Foaly asked, immediately. It was a shock to all of them that Angel's could have been coming through for some time now, undetected.

Ethryn paused to think, "Maybe . . . five? And only you can take off your charm, no one can do it for you. A lot of Dark Angel's have tried it on each other, as well as a few ignorant child Angels. You just can't do it. Almost everyone can see the bright side of a situation. Only those five Angels, and now myself, have ever been unable to see another way out. There is no suicide in my world, only the removal of you charm. Otherwise, everyone lives out the full extent of their many years."

"Is it possible this boy could come after you?" Holly questioned, concerned.

She bit her lip, "I'm not sure. I don't know how he'd find me, though. I don't have my necklace anymore. I figured I dropped it, when I fell out of the sky. I wasn't exactly trying to keep it."

"He can trace you through your necklace only?" Artemis cut in. Obviously, something had perked his interest. "Are you sure it-?"

The Second Fowl stopped, as Ethryn, nor anyone else was paying attention (including himself). Ethryn had started glowing, light a lighthouse, before dimming and glowing again. This strange flickering continued until a white source of light pulled out of her body, without so much as flinch from her (just wide-eyed staring), and began morphing into something else.

"I suspected as much," Artemis muttered, unheard by anyone but himself.

The light turned into a somewhat see-through man, admittedly handsome. There was visibly no flaw on him, but Artemis had a feeling the errors were underneath the skin.

"You didn't think you could get away that easily?" He said, before he'd even finished forming. "Silly Ethryn, it seems in your quick judgment upon my intentions, you've lost a bit of your sense as well. Please, my love, return home with us."

Butler stood, cracking his knuckles. Though the entire conversation was in Gnomish, it was obvious how unsettled everyone was. He wasn't sure if this 'hologram' could harm Artemis, or anyone else, but surely he wasn't going to let his guard down, just in case. The man turned to look at Butler, with surprise.

"I see you have friends, my dear," he commented, his eyes scanning over the crowd of people in the room, and the television. Trouble looked irritated at not being there, and Foaly seemed in awe at the latest discovery on the new species.

"H-How are you doing this?" Ethryn demanded, stepping away from the hologram. "You shouldn't be here! Leave me alone!"

Holly shoved Ethryn over to where Butler and Artemis were, and the man's eyes followed her the entire way until Holly cleared her throat to speak to him. "She's under LEP protection now. Whoever you are, you'll do well to stay away from her. She obviously doesn't have feelings for you, and its illegal here to force marriage upon anyone."

The man bowed, "My name is Tristan, mademoiselle. _Tristan_. Please don't forget that. I am unsure of your peoples level of intellect, though, and if it is small, please do your best to remember my name. Do you even know _her_ name?"

"If you're unsure of the female intellect," Artemis intervened, as Holly looked on the verge of strangling the projection. "Then you may try mine, Tristan. My name is Artemis Fowl, the Second, if you wish to know. Now tell me, how is it you've managed to contact Miss Ethryn through her own body?"

"Greetings, Artemis Fowl. I've contacted Ethryn through this," His image held up a necklace, and a rather pretty one, actually. A lot more intricate then the jewelry you would find at a shop. "She left it behind, where she landed."

Ethryn's face dropped completely. "_You followed me _. . .!"

"Oh, of course," Tristan said, as if it was nothing. "But not alone, if that's what you mean. I did need bait to force you out of hiding, once I was finally able to get in touch with you."

"A hostage situation," Artemis said, drawing the man's attention away from Ethryn. Any time he looked at her she began shaking. "And what is it you're bargaining with?"

"Watch it, Fowl," Trouble barked. "We aren't trading anything."

"Hear me out, good people," Tristan interrupted, as more light was drawn from Ethryn, creating a figure next to him that he grabbed around the waist, pressing it against his side. "You've yet to see what I have to offer."

It was immediately prominent then just how high the stakes were upon seeing the figure.

"Ellen!" Ethryn shouted before staring at Tristan. "What do you think you're doing, Tristan?"

"Luring you to me would only be too easy with the help of my younger sister," Tristan replied, smugly. "Wouldn't you think so?"

"Let go of me!" Ellen ordered, vainly pulling at her arm. "Let go!"

"You son of a Dark Angel." Ethryn's hissed, raising her hand.

Immediately, Artemis snatched it out of the air and stood, whispering warningly in her ear. "This has become a hostage situation, Ethryn. The last thing you want to do is attack him."

Ethryn seemed to consider it before lowering her hand, forced to do nothing but scowl at Tristan over Artemis's shoulder. Artemis noticed her expression turn to one of surprise, and faced the Dark Angel and his younger sister once again.

The grown man had paled, turning white. Ellen seemed somehow satisfied though.

"She's already been claimed, Tristan." The young girl, probably no more then twelve, began. "We're too late. Let's just go home!"

Artemis understood immediately, but Ethryn, nor anyone besides Foaly (who was suppressing laughter, for he'd probably get smacked, considering the situation) got what Ellen was talking about.

Tristan then turned a vibrant red. "Release my bride."

Artemis looked down, and saw Ethryn had tightened her grip, out of fear. Not very good at comforting people, he resorted to a mildly awkward pat on the arm. This only seemed to fuel Tristan's anger.

"My apologies, good sir, you're under the wrong impression," Artemis said, composed. Though, on the inside, he was a mess of unease and slight fear. "We are not-."

"Don't lie to me!" Tristan interrupted. "You, Angel who hides your wings, do not deserve Ethryn's heart! Look, even she has hidden her true nature in your peoples presence! She should not be with a mere _boy_ who is ashamed of his heritage!"

Artemis glared, severely. "Excuse me? Sir, I am-."

"Unworthy," Tristan spat back. "Rest assured, Fowl, when I find you, I shall kill you painfully before returning Ethryn to her proper place- at my side."

And before they could reply, he was gone, evaporated back into Ethryn with a slight glow.

"That," Foaly began, in English once again. "Definitely didn't go as planned."

Artemis gently released Ethryn's grip on him, flexing his slightly numb hand. "It would seem so."

"I feel like something bad has just happened," Butler said. "Artemis, please explain."

"It appears," Artemis replied, fixing his sleeves and pulling at the wrinkles in his suit. "That the man just here, Tristan, believes that Ethryn and I are together, to put it plainly. He believes the way to win her back is to kill me."

Butler sighed, "Only you, Artemis. Only you."

"It wasn't as if it was my intention," Artemis defended.

"Danger is just drawn to you, Arty." Holly teased, "But in all seriousness, we've got to figure out how to find Tristan before he finds us."

"Why in the world do we want to _find_ him?" Ethryn demanded. "The man's psychotic, shouldn't we be running or hiding from him?"

"Of course we're hiding _you_, Ethryn," Holly said, reassuringly. "But the rest of us are going to have to track him down so we have the element of surprise. Do you know how he found you in the first place?"

Artemis cleared his throat, still fixing his clothing. "I believe I know."

"Of course," Trouble muttered, "Because Fowl knows _everything_."

Ignoring this, Artemis continued his theory. "Your people each have individual necklaces, yes?"

Ethryn nodded, "Yes. A female Angel spends most of their life creating and designing their child's necklace. It can and has been made of almost everything, with many different designs. Each one is individual, unique."

"Exactly what I thought," Artemis replied, nodding his head in thought. "I believe you don't need to have your necklace on for it to be tracked. I believe another person simply needs your necklace. Because its unique, it matches your soul perfectly. Not one person in this universe is exactly the same, and so he simply tracked your life force the trinket left behind to you. He also used the scraps of powers from your light from it to project that image, I'd assume. Does that makes sense to everyone?"

"Enough of it does," Holly replied. "I . . . pretty much get the picture."

Ethryn clutched at her throat, glaring at the floor in distress. "So even without it, he can still find me? I'm still in danger?"

"Not if we can help it," Trouble growled. "We'll send troops out immediately. Till then, Fowl, where can you hide Ethryn that magic can't be traced or used in?"

Artemis feigned insult. "Why Commander, I feel insulted you would think I had a safe-house from the Fairy People."

"Stow it, Mud-Boy. Just tell us where it is."

Artemis smirked, ever so slightly. "Its just below Butler's room."

Foaly seemed stunned. "No way! I've scanned your house a million times, Artemis, and I've never found any safe-house of the sorts."

"That's the point, Foaly." Artemis seemed to be enjoying this. That was probably because he was. "Anyone who attempts to scan my home will eventually, if they can hack the codes, come up with a perfect blue-print of my house. But who continues to look for more blueprints when they already have them before their computer screens? No one, of course, except myself. The room is the only thing not included on the layout I fabricated, and even if you attempted to x-ray my house, however impossible, you would still come up with the same thing. No room. I went through great lengths to hide it, actually."

The centaur, after promptly closing his agape mouth, shook his head. "Leave it to Artemis to have a backup plan. Why haven't you mentioned this room before?"

He shrugged, "It never came up."

* * *

**Norway, Ice Plateau **

Ellen finally managed to jerk her hand away, "You're a monster."

"And you're the sister of a monster," He replied plainly. Tristan raised his hand, holding up the necklace. "Show me the way to your master!"

The gem seemed almost reluctant, but glowed bright and began pulling, like a puppy on a leash, forward. Ellen swallowed hard, looking up at the lights that were beginning to fade.

"Wherever you are," she whispered, quietly, though Tristan was already walking. "Let this end without regret."

"Sister!" He shouted, looking behind his shoulder at her. "Hurry up! If you lag, you will be punished."

"Coming!" She snapped, as the tug on her wrists was felt as well. He was probably linking them at this moment, she thought, watching his arms moved as he fumbled with something in his hands.

Ellen continued to repeat prayers in her head until she felt something cold hit her head. Looking up, she stopped, holding her hands out to her sides in awe. Tristan was about to snap at her again when the same thing got into his eye, and he rubbed it, ignoring the pain. He watched his sister with appreciation to the odd beauty before him.

Though their father was one of the most notorious Dark Angel's in existence, Ellen had never seemed to struggle with it at all, while Tristan always felt like he had something prove. Ellen, even for someone as young as she was, always seemed to catch the eye of a few appreciative townsfolk walking along the street, young or old. Even for an Angel, she stood out, inheriting her father's mystery aura and both of their parents stunningly good looks. It was what had drawn them together in the first place, and only when their father had found she was beautiful past her skin did he propose. Then, jealousy had overcome him. His wife and their mother, though never unfaithful, was constantly attracting eyes of both women and men, though the men he was most concerned about. Even after she gave him two children, he feared a man would come to harm his family in a passionate yearning, and so killed in what he found was self-defense. It felt so good to protect, he continued to kill, and then was forced into the realm of Dark Angel's soon after.

That was two years ago.

At this moment, Tristan realized just how truly innocent his sister was, despite the trauma of realizing her father was a murderer. A weak sound escaped his mouth in his awe. It was as if he could see right through her. The pure energy that stood within her, always willing to do what was right, no matter what cost it might have on her life or form.

Ellen turned, looking at him over her shoulder. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as her hair, shimmering with the snowflakes on it, swished over her shoulder. She was grinning, a spark in her eyes that hadn't been been alive since this had started (but never seemed to really fade altogether) now blazing. Ellen was practically growing with excitement at this new feature in the planet. He swallowed, guilt washing through himself. How could he harm something so beautiful, especially if it was his sister?

"Its so _cold_!" She laughed, arms outstretched to catch the white substance falling from the sky. "Try and catch it, Tristan!"

It seemed hard to believe they'd just been shouting at each other. His free hand reached out, in awe to his sister and this substance falling from the sky. One fell Tristan's my hand, melting shortly after. His brow rose.

"Strange," he murmured, forcing his attention back to her.

Her true age began to show as she spun around, her dress moving gracefully around her as she did so. Her head was back as she laughed, enjoying the sensation of chills each flake sent upon impact with her skin.

Then another image of a beautiful girl filled his head, and he was back to business once again.

"Its nice," he said, dryly, hiding his true fascination. He tightened his grip on the still tugging necklace, which tugged on Ellen. She fell forward, on her knees in the snow and glared up at him. "Get up, we're going now."

With no other choice, she did as she was told. The short family moment between them was gone.

* * *

MM, so, Tristan fails because he totally assumed Ethryn would still have her freaking necklace, which she didn't. Also, poor Artemis! Why is he always involved with stuff like this? Sucks for him.

Until next time, my doves!


	6. Sanctuary

I write this while avoiding homework. Yay for procrastination!

* * *

**Chapter 6  
"Sanctuary"**

**Ireland, Fowl Manor**

Artemis watched as Butler worked the room. It was a very direct display, so you could not reveal the room by accident, but with the intention of doing so. The chances of still opening the room anyways, unaware, were near to nothing. The Fairy's around them watched with mild confusion. Ethryn hardly payed any attention at all, as she was too busy looking everywhere else.

Finally, the last encryption was typed. The house did not move at all, and the opening to the extremely well-hidden room was hardly dramatic at all and a bit of a let-down. Butler took his gigantic hands, simply moving aside a few pieces of floor. There were three layers, creating a nice pile of wood neatly stacked next to him, before they reached the cement trap-door. Only someone as large as Butler could lift it, even after they entered in such a long key-code only Artemis could remember it. Said genius walked over, easily typing in the memorized number and letter sequence. It beeped, once, and turned green. Holly thought it was over, but then he placed his finger on it. Something scanned it, and finally Butler grabbed hold, lifting the slab.

Artemis made a gesture to the floor. "Ladies first. Holly, Ethryn?"

Holly scoffed, giving him a faux suspicious look. "Its not booby-trapped or anything, is it, Artemis?"

He rolled his eyes. "Of course not. That would only happen if I got the sequencing wrong. But of course, I'm never wrong with those types of things, and so you have nothing to fear."

Ethryn seemed to have been reassured and graceful as always, walked over. A ladder was there (as Artemis surely could not have been expected to jump into his safe-house) and she descended, followed shortly by Holly, Artemis, Foaly and Trouble (in computer form), and a few elves. Butler waited above, so no one tried to pull anything.

"Wow," Ethryn said, expressing her awe in one word as she looked around the very spacious room. Even for human standards, it could be considered the size of a master bedroom.

Holly placed her hands on her hips, "Leave it to Artemis to consider leisure while planning on hiding from the LEP."

"It wasn't intended for the LEP, Holly," Artemis retorted. "It was planned for any old enemies, human or fairy, that might come around hunting for my person. There's a few more rooms, in case Butler or another few people would be hiding with me."

Foaly seemed bewildered. "How could I not have found _this_?"

"Must I explain again?"

"Please _don't_," Holly retorted, before Foaly could say anything.

Artemis shrugged, thinking nothing of it. "Well, Ethryn, let me explain, since we have no real estimate of how long you'll be staying down here. We can visit at any time, of course, but its probably safest to-."

"Whoa, hold on, Fowl." Trouble interrupted. "You don't think she'll be staying down here alone, do you?"

Artemis's brow rose. "Holly is staying down here too, then? Or another officer?"

"Well, Holly too, but she's not the only one." Trouble continued, hurriedly, after Holly shot him a confused look. This was dangerous, as any time Holly was confused, she could be very temperamental when she finally understood.

"Please explain, Commander." Artemis asked, clearly somewhat irritated at being left in the dark.

Trouble smirked, savoring the moment of Artemis Fowl's irritation. "You're staying down here too, Mud-Boy. That Angel specifically threatened to kill you. We have no idea what he's capable of. And I'm not having a Mud-Boy's death on my head!" The last part wasn't a shout, but an order. There wasn't to be any negotiation about his safety.

That didn't mean Artemis appreciated the concern.

"Why, Commander," he said, hiding the frustration easily (from years of practice) and returning Trouble's smirk with a far more superior sneer of his own. "I never knew you cared so much."

"Stow it, Mud-Boy. Now, tell you're little Mud-Giant too, and get yourselves situated. You have two hours before you'll be locked up in there, you got it?"

They all three nodded.

"Good. You need anything, tell Foaly to come find me. This is priority, but that doesn't mean I don't have other things to attend to."

They watched him leave Foaly's screen space. When they heard the door shut, the centaur seemed relieved. "Ah, I thought he'd never leave! That Trouble sure works up a stink after a mission!"

"Enough, Foaly," Holly snapped. "No one wants to hear about Trouble's smell. Artemis, continue explaining."

Taking a breath to calm himself after this new revelation, Artemis proceeded to show them to separate rooms, each connected, though there was a lock. He showed them how to match the lock so only they could lock it (with another thumb-print scan, and a short code they had to make up on their own), and unlock it at any time, in case of emergencies. The kitchen was connected to a small living room, and study. Each room also had a small desk area, with a computer, and the kitchen/family room/study had a TV in it. The walls were sound-proof. The kitchen had a chute that could have extra food dropped down it, if they ran out or needed something.

All-in-all, it was the ideal safe-house. And although Artemis refused to explain how he did it (security reasons, so he said, but Holly had a feeling he didn't trust Foaly's security to his own computer files), he assured them no magic besides Holly's and Ethryn's could be used. Apparently, the thumb-scan recognized everything about them. Nothing could be considered a threat, even their magic. Holly could heal herself, for whatever reason, if necessary. And Ethryn could do . . . whatever it was Angel's did.

"Alright then." Artemis watched Butler take their suitcases in. He'd called up to explain earlier, and Butler had reluctantly left his charge to go pack their things. Secretly though, he was a bit glad Artemis was being sealed in a safe-room, away from harm. Now he didn't have to worry about him running headfirst into a dangerous situation, oblivious as always. "That should be everything."

Ethryn sat on the couch, enjoying the squishy feeling it gave. One thing she was truly enjoying about Earth was the strange textures. Back home everything was smooth, slick, and shiny. Hear, things were dull. However glorious her home was (and how she missed it so much), the extravagant things here were in less quantity, bringing more attention to them. Earth was glorious in its own way.

Other various preparations were made.

Finally, shortly after their things were brought into the room, Artemis look up the ladder at Butler. His faithful companion and himself shared a long, unreadable look before Artemis finally nodded. Then Butler nodded as well and shut the door.

They were officially locked inside.

* * *

**Ireland, Elsewhere**

Tristan glared at the device that continued to twitch and shudder in the air, like an old car spluttering out its last bit of life. And just the same, it gave one last general tug before falling limp. The strange luminescence that seemed to glow from the core faded, leaving nothing but a pretty stone on a chain.

Angry, the Dark Angel tossed it towards the ground. Nimbly Ellen caught it between her delicate hands, shoving it into her pocket unnoticed. Her brother (if she could still consider him family) was far too distracted with his fury to notice anything she did. Another convenient attribute was that now that the necklace was 'dead', the cuffs were nothing but cuffs.

But she wasn't going to remind him of that. Not yet.

Her time would come to strike.

She just had to be patient.

"Now what?" Ellen demanded, hissing through clenched teeth. "Your tracking device is gone. Obviously its been away from its owner far too long to retrace her scent."

"Quiet!" Tristan barked back, making her flinch. He rubbed his forehead with one hand, the other placed on his side. After a moment he seemed to have relaxed, most of his frustration gone. Tristan jerked his chin forward. "The last place it pointed was that way. This will be the way we go."

"Fine," Ellen muttered, trudging forward. An Angel's stamina, though long, did not leave the body completely filled with energy. Her feet were beginning to ache, and she was starting0 to feel fatigued. "The sooner we get there, the sooner I'll be rid of you!"

"I couldn't possibly understand what you mean," Tristan replied quietly as they walked on. The first signs of dusk were appearing in the sky, green grass surrounding them, along with the occasional other shrubbery.

She snorted, next to him, neither looking at the other. It was mostly silent, save for the murmur of wind every once in a while. With every warm breeze, Ellen felt a painful longing for her home. "Evil is destined for defeat. I've already reminded you of that."

"But how can the motivations of love be evil?" He demanded. "Love is beautiful-."

"When returned by the other," Ellen interrupted. "Ethryn obviously does not love you. But as I said, we've been over this. You're ego and refusal to admit a creature of any sorts could not desire you will be your downfall. All I have to do is wait."

"You are a nuisance. If not for our heritage and your worth as a hostage, you'd be dead by now," Tristan said calmly, sure of this statement. And Ellen knew in her heart it was true. Her brother, who had always looked out for her, would love to kill her.

It saddened Ellen greatly, but she remained composed.

She had a word for him as well.

"If not for these shackles and our heritage, I would've killed you as soon as this started." Ellen murmured, shocked at how much she really meant it. No love was left in her for Tristan, no compassion or emotion. She just wanted to help her friend and save herself.

Tristan nodded slowly, seeming to except this. "I understand."

And the two continued walking in silence, wanting to destroy the other. Somewhere far off in the distance a storm began. Thunder rolled and lightning flashed.

The storm was finally starting.

* * *

**Ireland, Fowl Manor, Underground**

"I wish I could see it myself," Ethryn sighed, watching the news forecast. "Storms are such a rarity in my home. They're mostly feared, but I was always fascinated by the lightning. I planned on using it for my child's necklace design, when I was old enough of course." She made a face, and Holly knew who she was thinking of. They'd only been locked underground an hour, yet she was already feeling restless. Was the storm some type of omen? No, impossible.

. . . Right?

"It would seem Tristan would have you mothering before you were ready to," Artemis replied carelessly, on his laptop. He wasn't one for TV, and he still had finances to handle; emergency or not, there was nothing he could do but wait for now anyways.

Holly shot him a glare, in case Ethryn was sensitive about that. But to her surprise, the girl laughed and looked at Holly curiously. Artemis sipped at a glass of water next to him, not having looked up from the screen. Holly felt uneasy at her expression.

She soon knew why.

"Holly, when do you want to be a mother?"

Artemis spat out the water, choking on it. Ethryn didn't seem to notice.

"Eh," Holly wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, casting glances at Artemis. He was coughing now, thumping his chest a few times before getting up to fetch a napkin to wipe his mouth with. "I'm . . . not sure. Not anytime soon, though. Definitely not anytime soon."

Ethryn seemed satisfied and finally noticed Artemis's now wet shirt. "Artemis? Are you alright?"

"Yes, thank you." He nodded, and Holly noticed something extremely irritating.

He was trying not to laugh. Artemis's mouth was twitching, fighting a smirk. She was about to snap at him when the innocent minded Ethryn proceeded with a follow up question.

"What about you, Artemis? When do you plan on having children?"

Holly couldn't help herself. She burst out laughing. This, unlike Artemis's minor attack, caught Ethryn's attention. Artemis was gagging once again, and quickly recovered enough to shoot Holly a death glare. Not that she noticed though, she was still giggling uncontrollably.

"Have I said something funny?" She asked, flickering between the two.

Artemis simply pinched the bridge of his nose. "Not at all, actually."

"Oh." She waited patiently for his answer.

He sighed, "I don't plan on having children until I'm married, Ethryn. Whenever that is. It doubt it will be anytime soon."

"Mm," She nodded in understanding, then her glance went back to a recovering Holly, who was wiping the tears out of her eyes. She then went back to the television, flickering through channels.

It wasn't until about an hour later they spoke again.

"Holly!" She shouted.

The LEP officer had dosed, and immediately sat up, alarmed. It was only when she assessed everything and deemed it fine that she looked to Ethryn, mildly annoyed. She smiled apologetically.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Holly sighed. "It doesn't matter. What is it?"

Ethryn looked back towards the screen. "What are they doing?"

Artemis, curious, looked up as well. The two saw people ballroom dancing. The boy genius sighed.

This was going to get difficult.

* * *

The next chapter will be longer, and far more exciting.


	7. Lightning

Alright, I have no layout of Artemis's house, so don't judge! And I decided Tristan and Ellen have walked pointlessly long enough!

Plus, I'm out of stalling ideas.

ENJOY!

* * *

**Chapter 7  
"Lightning"**

**Ireland, Outside Fowl Manor**

The lightning flashed across the sky ominously. Ellen bit her lip, a horrible feeling in her chest. She felt awful, like she knew something bad was going to happen.

Little did she know as she trudge up the hill, she was right.

They reached the top, a tree next to them. Tristan stared in shock and Ellen inhaled sharply. The lightning flashed behind an enormous and somehow intimidating household. A very large smirk appeared on Tristan's face.

"Ah, Mister Fowl," he hissed, "It seems we will finally meet at last."

Ellen shivered, though it was not cold. It was a dangerous storm: dry heat. Should the lightning strike anything flammable, there was no rain to put it out. She glanced at her brother and made a small comparison.

He stepped forward.

Boldly, and still shackled, Ellen reached out and grasped his arm with both hands. He looked down at her as if she was nothing, no more important then the dirt under his finger nails.

"Tristan, please. Think about what you're doing before its too late!"

She knew her words were spoken to deaf ears as soon as he glanced down at where her hands touched his forearm. Ellen released him, accepting the fate of her only sibling without a sound. But visibly, something had changed in her. She glared up at him, stone cold. She'd hardened.

There was no mercy anymore.

"Come along." He ordered, gripping her. Before she could react he had her in his arms, carrying her. Ellen didn't way much. He held her without any strain whatsoever.

And clinging to his chest, Ellen closed her eyes. Her heart broke.

* * *

**Fowl Manor, Aboveground**

Now that Artemis was out of the way, Butler was free to keep on alert as he pleased, without checking up on his charge. He had yet to blink more then once every twelve minutes, his eyes never leaving the camera screen. Foaly, who was on a screen next to him, was doing the same.

"Ah!" Foaly shouted, "Got something!"

Butler saw it too. A red blip was showing up on the camera, moving fast.

"That's got to be them," the centaur continued. "No ones stupid enough to break into this mansion without a purpose. And even still, they're completely reluctant."

Butler stood, arming himself. Though, now that he thought about it, there probably wasn't much the weapon could do. "The Fairy people never seemed too skeptical about breaking into the manor."

Foaly simply grinned.

Then the ground shook.

* * *

**Fowl Manor, Safehouse**

They felt it especially and Ethryn gave a sound of fear. Artemis stood, unsteady on the quivering floor, but began to make his way to where the two were.

He honestly doubted this was a simple earthquake.

"What's happening?" Ethryn demanded. Holly hovered at her side, curiously watching her surroundings. It was strange to have everything else shake while you stood still.

Finally Artemis reached the couch and Ethryn grabbed him, terrified now. Holly moved to his other side, also somewhat disturbed by this frightful aspect. Noticing this, Artemis allowed the small but yet growing affectionate part of him to take over for the time being. He placed his arms around both of the girls and glared thoughtfully up at the roof. Ethryn didn't seem to notice in the least, but Holly sure did. Immediately, though the world around them still shook, she moved ever so slightly closer to Artemis, allowing herself to be afraid and not suck it up, for Ethryn's sake. She wasn't used to earthquake's. The only one she'd ever been in, she'd watched an LEP officer die.

Not all the ways of mother nature were perfect.

Artemis noticed this as well and tightened his grip on both of them as a particularly violent shake shook the framing. Instincts he didn't know he had took over and he shouted for them to duck, which they did, all three clinging tightly together in their terror. He counted the seconds, as he had been doing, and the shaking lasted for 163 seconds. Finally, mercifully it stopped. Artemis slowly released them, wary and unsure to trust the ground. After waiting 15 seconds he released them for the most part, his arm still loosely around both of them just in case. Eventually he decided to trust the ground and rushed to the security system.

When Holly heard him swear, she knew something was wrong.

"What happened?" She asked, quietly. Her and Ethryn were huddled together. "What's going on?"

Artemis visibly stiffened before inhaling deeply and letting the breath out. He then turned to them and replied, "We are virtually stuck in here, as whoever just broke in has cut most of the system and unless Butler comes back to release us, which I doubt it his top priority at the moment since he'll want us out of his way and out of danger, we're trapped."

"And . . . what if . . . he doesn't . . .?" Ethryn seemed like she was going to vomit at the thought. She didn't need to finish, though it wasn't like she could've.

'What if he doesn't survive?'

"Then we're stuck until someone does."

They stared at one another in horror.

"Don't you have a backup plan, Artemis?" Holly whispered, clearly not herself. "Anything?"

Artemis, also not entirely himself, fearing for Butler's safety, and having just experienced a very large earthquake, shook his head. "No." He said in a grave voice. It was filled with self-loathing and his eyes burned holes in the ground. "I didn't."

Then he turned and went into his room, slamming the door shut behind him. The two girls looked at one another and flinched when they heard something hit the floor with a thump. It wasn't like Artemis to lose his temper.

"Maybe you should talk to him," Ethryn murmured.

Holly thought and nodded, standing. "You're right."

Ethryn watched with a sorrowful expression as Holly let herself into the room, shutting the door behind her. She then turned away from it, as if giving them privacy (though she was in the other room), and proceeded to cry and hold herself. After letting her terror exit she felt better and then noticed Artemis's laptop was now on the floor. It had fallen on the floor during the earthquake. She remembered that he took it almost everywhere with him, and felt slightly touched he never even thought of it, instead running to her and Holly's aid.

Though it was quickly pushed out of her mind as she picked it up, noticing not a scratch on it. Indestructible most likely. Figures, she thought with a smirk. Then she moved and began to fiddle with it. From watching TV, and Artemis, she basically knew how to use it. She pulled up the internet and began searching things, passing time.

Meanwhile-.

Holly shut the door, saying nothing and just watching Artemis lean his weight onto one hand that rested on the desk. The other hand was covering his eyes. The frustration and whirlwind of emotions was plain to see, which she once again noted was unlike him.

"Holly, please," he started. "I would appreciate it if you just left."

The LEP officer, and one of his very closest of friends, made her way towards him. She noticed a few books cast onto the floor. They'd probably been thrown off his desk. The thump she'd heard was probably them hitting the floor.

She hovered, placing her hand on his shoulder gently. "Artemis?"

He didn't move, just tensed at her touching him.

"Artemis, look at me, please."

Reluctantly, after a small pause, he looked at her. Holly gave a weak smile. Unlike Artemis, she was at least decent at comforting others, if not better. She was, after all, somewhat of a public figure.

"Alright, now tell me what's wrong, Artemis."

He swallowed with difficulty, his eyes starting to redden. Holly hid it well, but this new side to Artemis was starting to honestly frighten her in a whole other way. What had gotten into him? She sat on the bed, and he sat next to her. She waited.

Artemis looked down at the bed in shame. "I . . . don't know, Holly. Honestly, one earthquake-."

"The ground isn't the only thing falling to pieces, Artemis," Holly interrupted in earnest. "Is this about Ethryn? Tristan's death threat? Butler?"

"All of the above," he replied, staring at the bed shamefully. "It's terrifying not knowing what to do, Holly. I can't do this by myself."

Holly watched one of her very closest of friends go on the verge of tears. Her eyes narrowed at this, not willing to let it happen. Immediately she shifted forward, placing her small hand under his chin and forcing him to look up at her. He did in surprise, and she was smiling.

"You don't have to, Artemis." She smirked. "Do you really think you can keep the rest of us out of the action?"

Artemis allowed a small smile. "Of course not."

"Good. Then no more moping, okay?"

"Very well. I don't know what came over me, anyways."

"Promise?"

Artemis rolled his eyes, "Honestly, Holly. You are aware promises are for children, correct? Despite your height similarities, you are not, in fact, a child."

Holly snorted, sitting back. "Yep. You're fine now." She got up, heading towards the door. "I'm going to go check on Ethryn. She's probably a little shaken up too."

"Wait, Holly?"

She stopped, looking back at him, "Yeah, Artemis?"

He smiled. "Thanks."

She smiled back. "Sure. Anytime."

Artemis watched her close the door. He rolled over, unable to rest but plotting (calmly, now) of ways to get out of the safe house if necessary. The three of them were safest underground, but situations often didn't go as planned. Especially with them involved, it seemed. Only moments later he heard a shout and sat upright, bolting out of the room.

What he saw was surprising.

"_What_ are you watching?" Holly demanded.

Ethryn seemed confused, staring at the screen. "A 'video' I believe. Please, what is a 'harlequin girl', and why is this man singing about them?"

Artemis snorted. "Are you aware of what a pros-?"

"No, you are not telling her that!" Holly shouted, smacking her forehead. "Great idea, Arty. Leave your laptop with Ethryn, let's see what she can find."

"Hmm," For whatever reason, Ethryn seemed pleased. "This is a very catchy tune."

"My gosh," Holly snatched the laptop from the Angel, handing it to Artemis. "Keep track of your things."

"I thought it was nice Ethryn was taking in the internet's culture," He retorted with a smirk. But at Holly's glare he assured her it wouldn't happen again and closed the door.

Ethryn smiled, "Is he feeling better?"

"Better." Holly replied, sitting next to her and watching the television. "But that doesn't make him any less of an ass."

Something shook upstairs and all three looked up.

* * *

**Ireland, Fowl Manor, Aboveground**

The whole squadron of LEP were hiding in the many (now that Butler had made a few alterations) shadows of the house, in wait for the intruder that had caused such an eruption. As the light faded, having appeared in the middle of the room from nowhere, the silence seemed louder then the rolling thunder outside. A girl collapsed on the floor. They each recognized her profile. Ellen, Tristan's sister.

And the man himself stood above, looking down at her boredly.

"Get up," he hissed. Even some of the officers flinched. Butler was aware the power had gone out, and made it his goal to stay alive to free Artemis and the girls.

It was immediately aware she was handcuffed as the chains jangled. There was obvious difficulty at getting up and it took little Ellen a minute. She was clearly in distress.

Tristan looked around, not noticing. "Ah, where are we now?"

Ellen glared at him through narrowed eyes. "Wouldn't know if I was accurate, Tristan. You know, you having **_handcuffed me and all_**, I couldn't give a shit where we are!"

Her outburst was punished. The ricocheting slap was heard in the thought to be empty area. Ellen stumbled backwards, hitting her head against the wall and sinking to the floor. She looked up furiously, but obviously defeated.

That was when the LEP chose their moment to strike.

Neutrino guns ready to fire, they aimed with a deadly accuracy and sliced through the air towards Tristan in a massive explosion that Butler guessed those below could feel too. Doubtless they'd felt the earthquake-like shaking as well.

_Ethryn probably hadn't taken that well_, he thought.

Unnoticed to the rest of them, Ellen had decided to choose that moment to strike. With the distraction of the strange creatures attack, she snapped the handcuffs in two easily. Butler heard the shatter of metal and was only mildly surprised to see that the girl had broken them in half like toothpicks. He vaguely wondered why she hadn't done it earlier, but figured it wasn't the time to ask.

The explosion had only done so much damage.

Tristan was singed here and there, a nasty burn on his chest, one on his arm, and one on his leg. But Angel's could withstand worse and so he forced himself to his feet. He saw red, a metal tinge in his mouth. Tristan could feel the hatred flow through him.

"Ignorant little pests!" He sliced both arms through the air. In a shimmer his weapons appeared. With another violent displacement of wind his black, unnaturally beautiful wings expanded from his back. "Suffer the wrath of a Dark Angel!"

He lunged at the main force. Suddenly though, he was barreled aside by a small but painfully accurate force. Tristan twisted, allowing himself to come off the ground and kick back the thing on his side. His eyes watered and he skidded on his feet, ready for another attack of whatever that was. Tristan's eyes widened in surprise.

The LEP moved forward to assist.

"Stay back!" Ellen shouted, one palm out. They froze as, in the hand had that stopped them, a deadly looking sword appeared. "He's mine to deal with."

"Blood killing?" Tristan's mouth turned into a devilish smirk. "Why sister, I never knew you had it in you."

"You stopped being my brother the minute you became into a Dark Angel," she growled back. Once again, the truth of the words was surprising even to her.

He shrugged, as if it meant nothing. It didn't. "Nonetheless, this shall be quick. Do you really think you can beat me, Ellen?"

She showed no sign of it but Ellen was worried. It would take a miracle to be able to find a way to beat Tristan.

* * *

**Fowl Manor, Safehouse**

A miracle came in the form of a small, unpleasant, ill-mannered little creature sputtering up from the middle of the floor. Ethryn screamed, which had caused Artemis to come running from his room and Holly to tense, ready for a fight.

Said creature hacked out, coughing and spitting onto the floor. Holly sighed with relief, though Ethryn was still very much on edge. Artemis's brow simply rose.

"How did you get in here?" He asked, curious.

The hairy little thing retched a little, wiping its mouth of and giving a heave. "Eh wah'n eaby-."

"What?" Artemis interrupted.

The thing took its two chubby hands, and there was a crack as it re-hinged it's jaw. "It wasn't easy, I'll tell ya that. And once again, Fowl, you are in my debt!"

"Excuse me for interrupting," Ethryn was obviously disturbed by the little creature. "But, who are you?"

It bowed, "Mulch Diggums, at your service, mademoiselle." Mulch moved forward, dirty still, and took Ethryn's hand in his. She looked somewhat disturbed as he kissed her hand delicately, or at least that's what he thought he was doing. It felt like a wet, very oddly fuzzy sponge. He looked up, with a wink. "And I _do_ mean _any_ service."

Ethryn managed a small smile, "Its a pleasure."

Holly ran forward, hugging him tightly. "For once, Mulch, I couldn't be happier to see you."

"Yeah, of course you are." He said haughtily.

Holly's gratitude reverted, and she gave him a playful swat on the head. Artemis was still trying to work out how he got so far underground and managed to avoid all the traps he set.

For once, Artemis Fowl the Second was glad he'd made a mistake.

"Heard you guys were in a pinch," Before anyone could ask any questions, he added. "Foaly told me when the power cut. I, of course, being ever so dashing, raced over here. I can't believe you guys left me out of the loop so long!"

Holly had a feeling the 'dashing' part was for Ethryn's sake. Nonetheless, she replied, "Sorry, Mulch. We already had a bunch on our plate."

"Speaking of which," Mulch continued. "Anyone up for getting through that one?"

He pointed up, towards the roof."

Artemis snorted. "Can you do it? Its bulletproof, soundproof-."

"Yeah, yeah, fit for a rich boy to trap him and his friends in," Mulch unhinged his jaw once again, cracking his knuckles.

He'd see just how 'durable' it was.

* * *

**Fowl Manor, Aboveground**

Ellen crossed her once sword two his double, blocking both his moves in one. He tried to get a cheap shot, slicing under towards her stomach. She had predicted he wouldn't play fair and she jumped up on it, using the leverage and surprise to kick him in the face. This had taken barely three seconds, and the fairies (along with a monstrous sized human) were having a hard time keeping up. But they could now tell just how tough their opponent was. Ellen's recent kick was a lucky blow. Even injured already, he was still winning.

Finally Tristan got a backhanded move, twisting his torso so he got her in the chest. She gave a cry and rolled backwards. Ellen forced herself to remain calm and continued to roll back onto her feet. Her muscles were crying out for her to stop, but the onlookers, including her opponent, could see no sign of weariness on her face. Tristan, on the other hand, was visibly irritated. He should've killed her by now.

"Enough!" He screeched, lunging at her.

Ellen made some very complicated maneuvers to move, which she succeeded in. But the last was too slow, and Tristan saw his opportunity. He took his sword and jammed it into her arm. She screamed.

* * *

**Fowl Manor, Hallway**

The party of four stared at one another as the scream echoed back to them.

"Artemis, its your house!" Holly shouted. "Lead!"

Artemis snapped out of his shock and began running through his house, starting to get winded soon after. Luckily, they just had to reach the stairs that led to the second floor to see blood trickling down towards them.

Ethryn's eyes widened in horror, "No . . ."

Before anyone of them could take one step, she had already reach the top. She was fast, Mulch noted.

"So, what is she? Demon?" He asked, following behind.

Holly looked at him, wanting to see his reaction. "Angel."

Mulch paled and finally they saw what lay at the top.

A girl, Ellen they recognized (at least Artemis and Holly did), pulled a sword from her bleeding shoulder. No way was she going to be able to use her other arm. She was paling, gasping for air with tears coming down her cheeks. But she didn't seem to really notice, as she was watching Ethryn in some sort of stupor.

Tristan dropped his other sword at once, moving forward, his arms open to embrace her.

Within a second her wings were out and she had two swords, which came with bracelets attached to her wrists. She parted the space between them and stabbed. Tristan jerked backwards, but not quick enough.

She'd gotten him where his skin had been tender from the burn. He gasped and shouted painfully as she withdrew the object, slowly, watching the pain in his eyes without mercy. Ethryn had seen Ellen. She'd somehow known it was her from the scream that had echoed to them. As she pulled she twisted.

"Still interested?" Holly muttered to Mulch. The dwarf said nothing, staring with his jaw wide open. It could only have gone farther if he dislocated it again.

Then it was finally out and he stumbled backwards. She did not give him time to recover, lunging at him again. Tristan's reactions were slower, but precise. He barely managed to move out of the way. With both of his weapons on the floor (one in Ellen's possession now) things were starting to take a turn for the worst for him.

"Give it up, Tristan," Ellen grunted, pushing herself to her feet, using the sword as leverage. "You're bleeding to death."

"NO!" He roared and then kicked out at Ethryn. She gave a shout and slammed to the floor. "You will be my bride!"

The LEP was starting to feel utterly useless, but it was obvious no one could do anything but get in the way of the real decided he'd had enough, though. He stood, aimed, and fired. It hit Tristan square in the shoulder, knocking him back a feet feet. But he regained his footing and turned to the massive bodyguard. Oddly enough, Artemis had yet to be noticed by him. His mind was just a red haze. It was like a bull, charging at whatever seemed most threatening, without any logical thought. Just one singular notion to kill what got in his way.

The Dark Angel leaped at him, barreling into him like a ball. The gun was knocked out of his hand, sent across the sleek floor without a sound apart from a small squeak.

It came to a stop in front of a pair of clean, black shoes.

Ethryn scrambled to her feet, quickly grabbing Tristan's bad shoulder and throwing him off. Her wings, not out yet, flew from her back to make sure she didn't lose balance again. Somehow, the bullet had missed his wing, or surely he would have been dead by now. Like mentioned earlier, wings were like arms to them.

"Leave my friends alone," She ordered. A medical team rushed to Butler's aid. Just that simple technique had fractured one of the middle-aged man's ribs and left many bruised.

"Ethryn, be reasonable. All this fighting because-."

"Because nothing! Why can't you listen to me? _I don't love you_, Tristan. I will never love you!" She was pleading, relaxing as she did so. Despite everything, memories of him being her friend came flooding back to her. "You always listened to me. Why not now?"

"Its just that! I always listened to you! Who else did but I and my sister? And you cannot marry her, obviously. So who else is left but me?" He retorted. "I'm only doing what's best for you!"

"Who are you trying to be?" Ethryn screamed at last, her temper finally getting the best of her. "My husband, my friend, or my father?"

This left him silent. He stood erect, shocked into thought. What was he trying to be? A husband and a friend could come along hand in hand, couldn't they? But then, friends didn't hunt each other down to the end of a new dimension. Father's forced their daughters into things, doing what was best for them, but husbands didn't. Friends had tiffs with one another but . . .

In the end, his pain and anger deluded him back into the senseless madness. Ethryn had seen the war of thought raging in his mind, and had taken steps forward. She was only a foot away when his fury returned and grabbed her, spinning her and clenching his arm across her neck so she couldn't breathe.

Ellen slipped and fell. Neutrino's raised, but less. What could they do?

"It seems, my friends," Tristan sneered, taking his necklace from his pocket and holding it up. "That you have lost. What hope can you have to defeat me? You never had any. Take care of my worthless sister for me, unless she decides to return home. But it will be far too late by then, for Ethryn will be, how you might say, used goods by then."

This was all spoken in Gnomish. Not a word was understood by Butler, though he wasn't paying attention really, just focusing on not looking pained by the healing that was being done by him. But the message rang clear to everyone else.

'_Used goods_', Ellen thought it horror. '_He's going to force her to_-!'

The thought was never finished. At that precise moment, unnoticed by the others, the gun had been raised. The hand, for once, did not shake with fear. The owner was afraid of hitting Ethryn, but there wasn't a choice. They knew that if, on the off chance, they did hit her, she'd probably thank him if she could. Ethryn would most likely rather be dead then 'taken' by force.

Three shots rang out and Ethryn flinched as something hit Tristan, making him lurch towards her further. She scowled, but was surprised to feel his grip completely slacken. As she turned she screamed.

His head was, for the most part, nothing but a mass of head and blood. The shots had hit him right in the head and Tristan was dead before he even hit the floor. Her jaw dropped and she looked outwards, her mouth agape. Blood stained her hair and her dress, pooling around her feet, though she was trying very hard not to think about it.

The owner, shocked that they hadn't hit her, soon fainted.

* * *

Who shot Tristan? Find out next chapter! There will be another story to this, by the way. Just so you know, but its going to be a crossover.

AND WHAT IS AN ARTEMIS FOWL STORY WITHOUT MULCH COMING UP FROM NOWHERE, WITH NO EXPLANATION, AND FROM VERY UNLIKELY BUT AWESOME CIRCUMSTANCES? NOT A VERY GOOD ONE! Ha, but I'm sure you all were happy to see him show up. Of course, he really didn't 'save' them, cause they weren't in any danger, but he did get Ethryn upstairs to save Ellen! THAT COUNTS!

And by 'take her', I meant rape her. Sorry. But that's what he would've done. **GLAD HE'S DEAD, RIGHT?**


	8. Goodbye

**Ending! Sorta, though, cause there's gonna be a sequel, but yeah! Its gonna be a crossover!**

Anyone wanna guess who I'm using?

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 8  
"Goodbye"**

**Fowl Manor, Guest Room: 5:36 am**

After restoring the power and feeding Mulch (though, actually he had yet to _stop_ eating), things had settled down a little bit. The medical team rushed to Ellen's care. Oddly enough, her wing hadn't been damaged either. She didn't seem to upset that her brother had been killed so bluntly, without any mercy. The only thing on her mind, and everyone else's, was the one who'd done it.

As soon as Artemis had hit the ground, the gun falling from his hands, Holly was rushing to him immediately. Butler tried to move but Trouble forced him to stay down, warning him what healing could do if not done properly. Reluctantly, he'd done so. Extremely reluctantly. He was twitching until they were done.

"Artemis!" Holly screamed, shaking him violently. "Artemis, wake up! Artemis!"

The pale boy was out cold. Most likely from shock. Mulch hurried over next to her, and Ethryn reluctantly stayed away, biting her lip. As much as she owed Artemis, she was still somewhat of an outsider. Ethryn followed Ellen and the team of people treating her upstairs, casting a concerned and regretful glance over her shoulder.

More fairies hurried to Artemis's side and Butler's healing was done. He leaped to his feet and picked Artemis up, hurrying upstairs towards Artemis's room, followed by most of the LEP. The only one remaining below was Holly, Mulch, and Trouble. Foaly then appeared on one of the digital picture frames, looking sad.

"I didn't know Artemis had it in him to kill," Foaly muttered. Holly was staring at where he'd disappeared.

Mulch walked over and patted her on the arm. "He's tough, Holly."

She gave him a look.

"Alright, not strong tough. He's actually kind of a wiry thing, but that's not what I meant!" He added, quickly, as Holly only seem all the more distressed by this. "I meant he's seen a lot. This is just something new to him. The little monster probably only fainted from the shock of just murdering someone."

Holly sighed, shakily. "Yeah . . . okay."

Right now, they sat out in the hallway. Foaly was inside Ethryn's room, instructing the surgery, but Butler was there to replace him. None of them had said a word, thinking of their two friends. Ethryn was suddenly at the entrance to the hallway. They all looked at her.

"Foaly said Artemis is awake."

But nobody moved. She looked too somber.

"And?" Holly pressed, standing. "Ethryn, what's wrong?"

Ethryn sighed, "I can just feel the negative energy in his room, even though I haven't been in there. Something's really wrong with him. Holly, Butler, even you, Mulch, are the only people he really wants to see right now."

They all looked at one another and nodded, standing.

"And what about you?" Mulch asked. "Does he want to see you?"

"Not yet," she replied. "He mentioned me, but, I know he doesn't want to be reminded yet. Just go ahead, I'll come in later."

She left, towards Ellen's room.

Quickly, they made their way to Artemis. Butler knocked.

"Come in," a quiet voice called.

Holly opened the door.

Artemis sat in bed, a monitor next to him, just leaning against the bedpost. Holly, relieved, now knew what Ethryn meant. Somehow the room was just . . . depressing in itself, though she'd never felt it before.

Without a word, she walked over, hopped up on his bed, and hugged him. Artemis seemed startled at the movement, as he had not been paying attention, simply staring up at the ceiling. Now he looked down at her, surprised.

Butler smiled and he and Mulch walked over, just as Holly released him.

"Don't scare us like that, Mud-Boy," Mulch berated, teasing. He jerked a thumb towards Holly. "You left me to deal with Holly all afraid and stuff! I don't think you know how hard that is! She was practically having a heart attack."

Artemis glanced down at Holly. She sat right in front of his crossed legs and he smiled, just a little. "It would appeared so."

Holly huffed, "Well excuse me for being worried for the health of someone whose paler then the moon and skinnier then a twig." She nudged Artemis's shoulder. He rolled his eyes.

"How are you feeling?" Butler intervened.

Artemis then looked away. "I'm perfectly healthy, according to the-."

"Artemis," Mulch interrupted, leaning casually against the wall, at the foot of his bed. "I don't think that's quite what he meant?"

The boy genius look at the faces of his friends and knew that they already knew. He gave a heavy sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. "I saved Ethryn, I know. I might've even saved Ellen, as well. But I still don't feel quite right about taking another man's life, for whatever reason."

Butler placed his massive hand gently on Artemis's shoulder. "I know how you feel, Artemis."

"Ditto," Holly added.

Mulch raised a hand, "Aye."

"We've all taken lives, Artemis. Whether we wanted to or not," Holly reminded him.

LEP officer, criminal, bodyguard, and genius then, for one fleeting moment, felt the same pain. The first time taking a life. Sadly, they all knew the names. The faces flashed in their minds, sending a sharp stab through their chests.

"Alright, enough sap," Mulch interrupted, shaking his head. With it went the memory. "Artemis is a hero, yay for that. Someone give the boy a prize."

They simply laughed, though Butler noticed Holly had a strange look in her eye for a split second. He chose to ignore it.

"Where is Ethryn?" Artemis asked, finally noticing she was not there. His head was still aching from hitting the floor so hard. "Is something wrong with Ellen?"

Butler shook his head, "No. She just felt you needed a little pick-me-up before she came in."

Artemis nodded, seeing the logic behind it. As irrational as emotions were, being able to read them was invaluable information. "Ah. I see. I'll talk to her later, then. I do wish to discuss a few things with her."

"Whatever you saw, Mud-Boy." Mulch hopped off his bed, walking towards the door. Butler followed behind with a last look at Artemis. He saw Holly had not moved and had a feeling it had something to do with that earlier look from before. Not one to pry with her, he shut the door behind him.

"Yes, Holly?" Artemis asked, wondering why she hadn't left with the others. He sat up straighter. "Is something wrong?"

Holly shook her head. "Nah." Then she leaned forward, planting a very chaste kiss on his mouth before also leaving the comfort of the bed. Artemis sat stunned, not able to believe what had happened. "I just agreed with Mulch. You needed some sort of reward for being a hero, right?"

Artemis blinked away his surprise, "Eh . . . I hardly think that was long enough," he teased in turn, recovering.

She winked at him. "Yeah, well, try doing more heroic things. It might turn out better for you."

And she left quickly enough.

* * *

**Fowl Manor, 10:00am**

Artemis sighed. He picked the phone up and dialed, unable to believe he was really making this call now, when Ellen was going to come out of surgery any minute now. But there really wasn't any time.

Within two rings, she picked up. "Arty?"

"Yes, mom, its me." It still felt strange to call her mom.

"Oh good! I was getting worried. What are you up to?"

How casual, he noted. His family must have been close. Or they were in public.

"Nothing now, mom. Everything has been dealt with now. I will be joining you in a few days, or you, father, and the twins can come home at that time."

"Why not now?"

"Eh," he looked downstairs, frowning. "The house needs to be cleaned."

Tristan's body had been taken care of, thank goodness, but the blood had stained the floor. The LEP had assured him a clean-up team would be coming tomorrow, and there would be no need to go through the hassling of re-tiling. This was good. It avoided paying off the one doing the job, to assure they kept their mouth shut, and hiding the evidence. No one had ever been murdered inside the Fowl Manor, so it wasn't like there was a protocol for this kind of thing.

"Mm," His mother was clearly unhappy. "Nothings been broken, I assume?"

"No, just a few, em, stains."

"From what?"

"Mom," Artemis had never been one to whine. But he had never come as close to doing so as he was now, practically begging his mother not to press for information. "Please."

"Oh, alright, fine. But you're going to explain to me later, young man!"

Artemis rolled his eyes, "Of course."

"See you in a few days, then, Artemis!" He heard a smacking sound as she made kissing noises. Artemis practically died of embarrassment, even though nobody was around to hear the conversation. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Then he hung up, relieved. It had gone extremely well, he decided. Not too many questions, and the conversation had gone smoothly. It was at that moment Holly came rushing down the stairs, clearly happy.

"What is it?" He asked, standing.

"Ellen's surgery has gone well," she said. "And she'd liked to see you."

Artemis bit his lip. "Is that a good idea? She's still recovering-."

"She's very determined to talk to you."

Reluctantly then, he took a deep breath, calming himself, and followed her up the stairs. They came to Ellen's room (far too quickly in his opinion, as the halls seemed to rush past), very close to Ethryn's, and knocked.

"Come in!" Ethryn shouted, from the other side.

The door opened to reveal seven people. Ethryn, Ellen, and five medical examiners.

"Artemis Fowl," Ellen breathed with a soft smile. "Its a pleasure to meet you."

Artemis walked forward, taking her hand gently with a small smile of his own. "Its very nice to meet you too, Ellen. Its unfortunate though that we have to meet under such . . . disturbing circumstances."

Ellen sighed, "Yes well, I can't say I'm surprised. Tristan took after our father too much. I guess I always just kind of knew that something would make him snap eventually."

"How sad," Artemis replied, sympathetically. "Are you well?"

"Well enough," she said. Then she became more serious. "I really must thank you, Artemis. You probably saved both mine and Ethryn's life by killing my brother."

"Yes, Artemis," Ethryn agreed, looking relieved. Whether it was for the murder, or for Ellen's recovery, neither he nor Holly could tell. "I don't know how we can make it up to you."

"No need," he insisted.

Holly smiled to herself. Years ago, Artemis would jump at the opportunity to have leverage on someone. He would have used that resource until it was drained dry, but now he was passing it off as if it was nothing. And it probably wasn't. Holly didn't know how hit-men functioned, taking a life for a price. How much did a life cost? Was it more valuable for someone with more security? With age? She didn't know.

"There has to be something," Ellen insisted.

He shook his head, "There's really nothing I want from you two. Just your safety." Then he paused. "Actually, there is one thing I desire."

"Anything," Ethryn insisted.

"An answer," Artemis replied. "Are you two going to be returning to you home soon?"

"Yes, I was planning on returning immediately. My mother must be worried sick." Ellen said. But they noticed Ethryn looking out the window, as if in mourning. "Ethryn? Is something wrong?"

She sighed, shaking her head and looking at Artemis. "That is . . . something I wanted to discuss with you too, Artemis."

He leaned forward, "Yes?"

"I was wondering . . . if it could be possible for me to," she took a deep breath, "Stay. Here. On Earth."

Holly was surprised. She'd known Ethryn had liked it here very much. But she'd thought that her home was something she would be dying to get back to.

"Oh, Ethryn," Ellen suddenly said, rummaging through her pockets. "I've been meaning to give you this. Tristan dropped it, but I guessed you might want it anyways. The life-force is gone, though."

She produced the necklace from her pocket and dropped it into Ethryn's delicate fingers. Artemis studied her expression carefully. He wasn't opposed to her staying. The Fowl's could support her easily enough, if she wanted to stay in the Manor. And even if she didn't, he could relocate her close to the where the shuttles were, or maybe somewhere in his vast amount of land he owned. Safety was his main priority, and he doubted she'd want to be away from everyone for long.

Ethryn was at that moment in awe of the trinket in hand. This whole adventure had started just with her ripping this piece off. The place where the string had snapped was fringed, burnt slightly. And as Ellen said, it was dead now. Nothing more then a pretty necklace She clutched it tightly in her fist and closed her eyes, nodding her head in acceptance.

"I want to stay," She said, smiling up at Artemis. "I know now this is where I was destined to be."

Artemis smiled back. "We couldn't be more happy to have you."

"I'll explain to your mother, Ethryn," Ellen insisted. "Don't worry about that. You're family won't think you dead, and your name won't go down in vain. And neither will yours, Artemis." She continued, looking at him. "You'll be famed where I am."

"Artemis is used to publicity," Holly teased.

Artemis didn't reply, just thought ahead to what the future would hold. He'd always known his life would permanently be a part of Holly's and the rest of the fairies, but he'd never thought he'd pretend to have one for a cousin. A new addition to the family.

He wondered how his real family would take it.

* * *

The cleaning crew had been thorough, even going so far as to scan the entire house for any signs of Angel anything. Hair, microscopic drops of blood that were untraceable (by human standards), all were gone within an hour. They then packed up and left, not wanting or having the time to stay a minute more then necessary. They had places to clean.

"I don't think its ever looked cleaner," Holly noted. "No offense, Butler."

"None taken. Your team was thorough."

"Very," Artemis agreed. "I'm sure my family will be pleased."

"Oh yeah, how did _that_ phone call go?" Holly asked, curious and amused.

Artemis sighed. "Mother has agreed to it, under the circumstance that I swear nothing is going on besides helping out a friend."

Holly and Butler laughed. Artemis waited until they were done, not entirely paying attention to them. His mind was elsewhere.

"Yes, haha," Artemis mocked, rolling his eyes. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some things I want to take care of before my family returns home from their trip. I want to have Ethryn settled before they come, wherever it is she chooses to stay."

Having said that, he turned and walked down the hallway. Butler and Holly watched, reminding themselves just how quiet Artemis was. Near to silent.


End file.
